Abellio unveils East Midlands branding

ABELLIO HAS unveiled the branding it will use when it takes over the East Midlands franchise from Stagecoach in August, as shown in the accompanying images.

Use of the name East Midlands Railway had been specified by the Department for Transport in the tender documents as a long-term brand for the franchise, with Abellio saying the service will be known as ‘EMR’. A purple and white colour scheme will be adopted which the company says is contemporary but pays respect to the strong and proud railway heritage of the East Midlands.

Different brandings will be applied to the three segments of the EMR operation – EMR Intercity for Midland main line services from Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby to London; EMR Electrics for the EMU-operated services between Corby and London; and EMR Regional for other routes.

The EMR brand will be gradually introduced, starting with a new website coinciding with the change of franchisee. Abellio says trains will be rebranded in stages from 2020 through to December 2022, with an interim branding applied in the meantime.