Diversity and inclusion

We’re a railway for everyone, always.

We are working to make equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) a part of everything we do here. We are a community, and we proudly serve the West Midlands – which is why it’s so important to us that the similarities we share and the differences we experience are represented, respected, and embraced.

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Current areas of focus

Our EDI vision is pretty simple – to make West Midlands Railway a place for everyone. That’s why we have initiatives in place (that we’re pretty excited about) to help create a more inclusive railway for our team, as well as our customers and stakeholders.

Stakeholder Equality Group

The Stakeholder Equality Group (SEG)

It’s a fancy name for a really important group, made up of real people who represent the real needs of our trains community. The group includes our colleagues, passenger representatives from different backgrounds, colleagues from other Train Operating Companies, and local organisations, working together to make our services better for everyone.

Jonny Wiseman

Appointing a leader to champion EDI initiatives

Jonny Wiseman, Customer Experience Director and now EDI Steering Group Chair, is leading the way as we roll out more inclusive-focused initiatives across the West Midlands Railway community.

Behaviour Matters

Behaviour Matters

On our journey to being a more inclusive employer, Behaviour Matters is an initiative we developed in partnership with our Trade Unions to create an inclusive culture where safety, dignity and respect are the priority (and the norm), where people have the confidence to speak up and speak out about inappropriate behaviour, and where feedback is heard and dealt with in a constructive way.

The Platform

Training and development

We have an online e-learning and development platform aptly called, The Platform. The Platform provides opportunities for training and education for the West Midlands Railway team through interactive courses.

Recruitment and progression

Recruitment and progression

So that our approach to recruitment and progression is accessible to everyone, we’re working on enhancements across all of our processes, from talent acquisition and retention, to talent mapping and succession planning.

Women in Transport presentation

Partnerships and collaboration

We’re working closely with our partners to support and promote equality, diversity, and inclusion across West Midlands Railway and beyond.

Army fatigues and Union Jack

Supporting the Armed Forces

We are committed to honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and supporting the Armed Forces community. We recognise the value of serving personnel (both regular and reservists), veterans and military families.

Colleague wellbeing

Colleague wellbeing

We want to ensure our team members are fully supported with their mental wellbeing; which is why we offer an Employee Assistance Programme, have dedicated Mental Health First Aiders, and a Wellness action plan to ensure everyone feels supported at all times.

Internal network groups

We’re proud to offer support and social network groups that are open to everyone across the West Midlands Railway team, and give people the chance to connect, share ideas, and have their voices heard as community members or allies.

  • All on Board: brings disabled colleagues and others interested in disability related issues together whilst providing a safe space where ideas and experiences can be shared. All colleagues within the business undertake Accessibility Matters training, the network wishes to expand on this through deepening our understanding of disability issues, offering support, and celebrating disabled identities within the business.

  • Aspect: connecting our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and allies across West Midlands Railway.

  • EMBRACE: which stands for Everyone Meaningfully Broadening Racial Awareness and Cultural Exchange – is a group that gives everyone in our team a platform to represent, empower, and advocate for colleagues across different backgrounds and cultural origins.

  • Engender: Dedicated to gender-related topics, this group is about bringing people together to inform, educate, and celebrate the things that affect our home and work lives across the gender spectrum.

inclusion logo lock up

Our Commitment

We’re champions of inclusivity across our West Midlands Railway community – we’ve even won a few awards for our work (thanks to Rail Business Awards and National Centre for Diversity FREDIE Awards). We’re on the right track to making West Midlands Railway the best it can possibly be, and a place that everyone is proud to say they’re part of – but the journey is ongoing, and we still have a way to go. So, we’re going to keep moving forward together, learning, adapting, and improving along the way so that equality, diversity and inclusion remain at the heart of what we do.

Accreditations (July 2023)