Adopt a station

Give back to the community​

Adopt a station and help make a difference to everyone who walks through its doors – from the daily commuters to the occasional holiday goers.

Download our guide on how you can help create a friendly and safe environment at your local train station.
Adopt your local station guide

Already a station adopter?

Read our Spring/Summer 2023 newsletter here.

What is a station adopter?

Local train stations are at the heart of the community and we'd like all our stations to be welcoming, clean and well maintained. Many of our stations are unstaffed and we’re not always able to visit each one as much as we would like. That’s where station adoption comes in.

Station adopters are volunteers who help out at their local station. From keeping an eye out for any unusual activity and reporting any faults and issues, to maintaining the gardens and making sure the station is presentable, they make a huge difference to every single passenger. They are supported by the EMR Community Rail Team and appointed Community Ambassador.

Why become a station adopter?

The benefits of station adoption is multi faceted, and can support with health and wellbeing, environment and sustainability, development and cohesion of the wider community and the success of the railway. These all support improvement and growth to the railway and also the local area.

Station adoption is part of community rail, a growing grassroots movement that spans Britain. It is made up of community rail partnerships, which work along railway lines or across regions, as well as station adoption groups and other local organisations, that work to connect communities with their railways.

So, if you are looking for a fun and engaging way to get involved with the community, make new friends, learn a new skill and take pride in your local station, then Station Adoption could be for you.

If you join the Station Adoption team you’ll receive four leisure travel tickets throughout the year to travel on East Midlands Railway services. You’ll also be able to park at the station for free whilst carrying out station adoption duties, and will be invited to attend an annual meeting for all station adopters across the network, along with a variety of other events.

What sort of work is involved?

Work will vary from station to station, but will always follow our safety brief. The scope of works will always be agreed in advance with the station management team. Generally though, you’ll be carrying out tasks such as:

  • Gardening and landscaping
  • Painting to cover graffiti
  • Litter-picking
  • Reporting faults or vandalism​

Station adopters don't carry out repairs to structural elements of buildings or station fixtures, to lighting, electrical fixtures, gas or water, or conduct any sort of work on the tracks or level crossing.

How can I get involved?

We welcome station adoption at the EMR-managed stations around the network. To see which stations we look after, check our route map.

If you are interested in becoming a Station Adopter and would like more information please complete the online registration of interest form linked below.

Join now