Keeping on track: what happens when you put different rail social experts in one room?

We recently hosted a forum where the brilliant Serenity Fox from West Midlands Trains (WMT) and Cal Marius from Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) shared exactly how they navigate the world of rail social media.

If you couldn’t make it, don’t worry! We’ve broken down their top insights, real-world stats, and everyday tricks into a handy guide to help you manage your channels, protect your team, and humanise the railway.

Before 2023, West Midlands Trains didn’t have a dedicated social media team. Inboxes were managed by Customer Relations, and disruption messaging was broadcast impersonally via the website.

Serenity and her team changed all that by building a dedicated, 24/7 rotating team and putting them right where the action is: inside the control room. Her team sits directly next to Information Controllers and opposite Train Service Managers (TSMs), meaning they are always in on the action. By knowing exactly what’s going on in real time, the team are able to respond rapidly to incoming messages, and put out proactive posts. 

The top tip: 

Make your responses more human and less “bot-like”. It also helps if your team is embedded in operations – it means they know exactly what’s happening in real time. WMT don’t really do the “we’ll get back to you” messaging, simply because they always know what’s going on anyway. 

The results: 

Because WMT is now constantly ahead of the game, their inbound social inbox numbers have actually dropped because they’re able to put out proactive messaging before the comments and DMs come flooding in.

By building a dedicated team that is always in the know, and leaning heavily on Orlo’s automated reporting, WMT saw:

• An 180% increase in engagement from passengers.
• A 28.5% increase in positive sentiment scores.
• Loads of new followers – they know that they’ll get real answers from WMT’s social channels.

We all know that certain public platforms can become incredibly toxic, especially during service disruptions. To counter this, the team at WMT recently introduced WhatsApp as a two-way communication channel.

The top tip:

If you want to have a reasonable conversation with an annoyed passenger, remove them from a public, high-stress environment. WhatsApp provides a quieter, one-on-one space where there is far more room to reason with people.

The results:

Between March and June 2026, following the introduction of WhatsApp, WMT’s positive sentiment scores shot up by 101%. By seeing and hearing the passengers where they are complaining (predominantly X), but then removing them from the conversation to a safer, more relaxed environment, you are more likely to solve the problem and create a more positive outcome. 

Data is fab for proving worth to senior stakeholders, but it’s also a tool for genuine empathy. WMT noticed a pattern in their inbound messages regarding children becoming overstimulated and overwhelmed during journeys, and used this data to create some genuinely lovely content that really impacted their customers in a positive way. 

What they did:

Using weekly accessibility reports and Orlo’s social listening tool, WMT were able to spot underlying trends which showed them that some passengers were struggling with being overstimulated and unhappy on their trains. WMT used this data to create physical “Accessibility Packs” filled with colouring books, sunglasses, earplugs and more. They wouldn’t have even known this gap existed without robust reporting in place and were able to make a difference to their passengers’ journeys. 

A common question internal stakeholders ask is: “Why don’t we put that fun video on X?” Cal and Serenity both gave a hard “no” to this. Not everyone follows every brand on every channel, and audiences log on with completely different expectations and both WMT and GTR are not afraid to protect their channels.

The top tip:

Stand up for what you know belongs on each channel and manage upwards if needed. If you post a goofy TikTok trend on X, it’s likely that the passengers who just want travel updates won’t be happy.

That said, don’t be afraid to show personality. When a passenger doubted a “do not travel” notice during Storm Goretti, WMT’s team cheekily replied: “Have you looked out the window or are you in Birmingham, Alabama?” The internet loved it, it made the news, and WMT’s sentiment scores spiked because they spoke like real people.

Over at GTR, Cal’s team of four focuses entirely on organic social media. Since the rise of working from home, commuting patterns have drastically shifted meaning that GTR now runs term-time trains. In turn, this has meant that their marketing strategy has pivoted heavily toward leisure travel and airport routes.

What they do: 

Cal and GTR firmly believe that rail enables the experience. To generate revenue, your content ecosystem needs to inspire passengers about what they can do along the railway line. Because Cal and the team know that 9% of GTR’s trains stop at airport stations, and they therefore know that those stops generate a very large percentage of their total revenue, they tailor their Instagram content to heavily target these lucrative leisure and airport travellers.

Public perception of the rail industry can be tough, and consumers are increasingly immune to polished, corporate “AI slop.” Cal’s trick at GTR is to create a group of ambassadors who can be relied upon to spread positive content about the railway. He stressed that positive messaging is far more effective when it comes from a human, rather than the rail’s own social channels.

The top tip:

Look inside your own organisation for talent. GTR works with internal brand ambassadors (dubbed Railblazers) as well as imperfect, authentic creators and has seen great success with this strategy. 

They partner with a train driver who has 100k followers on Instagram, and they have a close relationship with the employee who records the iconic “See it, say it, sorted” announcements (who is so popular he’s now on Cameo and starring in a Burberry campaign!) Even if you don’t have a famous colleague, it’s still worth reaching out to those who can be relied upon to publicly speak positively about your organisation. When real colleagues talk about why they love their jobs, the public is far more likely to believe them.

Both Cal and Serenity emphasised that Orlo is far more than an inbox manager; it’s a vital tool for stakeholder management and crisis control. Here are a few ways they use it:

Managing a backlash:

When GTR launched their pride-themed “See it, slay it, sorted” campaign (featuring a music video set to a RuPaul’s Drag Race track), they intentionally kept it off X. However, a political commentator found it and shared it there anyway, sparking 10 days of non-stop homophobic abuse directed at GTR’s accounts.

To protect the team and manage the crisis, Cal was able to quickly pull a Brand Report and Inbox Report from Orlo Analytics, sit down with leadership, and show them exactly what was happening in real time. This data allowed the Corporate Affairs team to confidently make the decision to move to a reactive-only communications approach, protecting their staff from further abuse. 

Navigating crises:

When trains broke down during a heatwave, resulting in 100% negative sentiment, GTR used Orlo to filter data by specific dates and times. This helped them isolate exactly who was angry while stuck on the hot train versus who was complaining later in the day, allowing them to tailor their reactive messaging perfectly.

Managing communications in the rail sector requires a balance of operational speed, emotional empathy, and creativity. By protecting your channels, listening closely to your data, and empowering your frontline staff to speak like human beings, you can turn even the hardest days into opportunities for community engagement.