Best Use of Social for Community Engagement: London Northwestern Railway & West Midlands Railway

The challenge

The solution

The team needed to find out what kind of content would resonate with its communities. They quickly realised that the best way to understand people is to listen to them.

So, they turned to their social inboxes. They noticed that their communities were asking questions, sharing projects they were passionate about, and getting in touch with their specific requests. By listening, the team were able to make:

• 12 year-old Charlie become “Conductor for the Day”

When Charlie Berwick’s Mum started looking for birthday activities for his son, she immediately knew where to turn. For trains-obsessed Charlie, all roads led to the railway, and Charlie’s Mum Jennifer got in touch with the team at LNR and WMR to see if there was anything the team could do to make his day extra special.

The team was listening, and they delivered – and then some. They set up a full “Conductor for the Day” experience for Charlie, letting him explore the cab, greet passengers, and even make train announcements.

Of course, our award-winning social team captured every moment so that everyone could join in Charlie’s fun.

• George The Stourbridge Station Cat give his name to a train

Through listening carefully, the team knew that George was already famous and had a loyal following on social media. So, on International Cat Day, LNR & WMR’s social team couldn’t pass on the opportunity to give George a special honour – and make waves on social media at the same time. For one day only, the Stourbridge Shuttle was officially named after George. In a “purrfect” coincidence, the train’s new name was unveiled by aptly named local MP Cat Eccles.

• Boost community campaigns

From Basil Brush at Penkridge Festival to the UK’s first chess tournament on a train, the listening-obsessed social team didn’t miss an opportunity to celebrate local community campaigns. They embraced meme culture, riffed on trending audio and parodied successful viral formats to keep railway life relatable.

And it wasn’t all light-hearted. The social team also responded to travellers who were feeling overwhelmed when travelling by train. They designed sensory packs for passengers, and made them visibly available for people who needed them.

The results

This approach has turned everyday moments into measurable impact. The team has handled 79,653 inbound messages, with 96% answered inside 15 minutes.
And in the past twelve months, the team have seen the following results compared with the previous year:

• +15,400 new followers across all platforms
• Video views up by 545,000 (reaching 606,100 in total)
• Organic impressions up by 526,000
• Reach up by 436,000
• Shares increased by 2,700, likes by 17,600, comments by 264
• Instagram Stories saw +33,000 more views and +29,400 reach
• Female audience engagement rose by 6.25%

…and all with £0 advertising spend.

Charlie’s “Conductor for the Day” experience reached over 56,000 on Instagram and 52,000 on Facebook on LNR channels alone. It engaged younger audiences, reminding them that the railway is a place of endless opportunity. Of course, it was also a day that Charlie will never forget.

On handing the team their award, the Orlo Spotlight Awards judging panel said: “London Northwestern Railway & West Midlands Railway have humanised a railway brand by scrapping broadcast and genuinely engaging with their communities by pushing local stories in a relatable way”.

On winning the award, Serenity from West Midlands Trains said: “I’m so so proud, we are a small team that is still in our relative infancy, and to get this recognition is really really special, so thank you”.

Congratulations to the whole team, and to all of our other nominees, for prioritising community connection in 2025.