World’s first Pride parade on a train takes place at rail festival

Alstom has revealed that the world’s first Pride parade on a train took place during a major rail festival it hosted earlier this month.

During The Greatest Gathering, which was held over three days at its Litchurch Lane Works, LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies from across the UK rail industry marched together, showcasing the sector’s proud commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Those marching represented various railway-related companies, including Alstom, Angel Trains, AtkinsRéalis, Avanti West Coast, Hitachi Rail and Transport for London (TfL).

After a procession across the 90-acre train factory site, the colourful cavalcade paused for a photoshoot in front of Avanti West Coast’s Pride Pendolino No. 390119 ‘Progress’.

Unveiled in 2020, it is the first train in the UK to be fully wrapped in the progressive Pride flag. The procession then continued on to the train itself.

Following this, the parade moved towards the 1.6 km-long Test Track that curves around Alstom’s Derby site.

Here, marchers boarded a Class 345 Aventra train – designed, engineered, manufactured and tested at Litchurch Lane.

Normally, the train serves passengers on London’s Elizabeth line, but it returned to Derby for the weekend to offer rides for visitors to The Greatest Gathering.

Fittingly, the unit chosen to attend the event – No. 345055 – has carried its own ‘trainbow’ since 2023, making it another perfect vehicle to host the second parade on a train at The Greatest Gathering.

A special announcement then signified to passengers the historical significance of the journey, which attracted cheers from the hundreds on board who had witnessed the spectacle.

In a joint statement, Alstom’s Pippa Armstrong and TfL’s Joe Brown, co-chairs of Journey, said: “It was magical to be part of the world’s first train-borne Pride event at The Greatest Gathering.

“It was the result of a collaboration across the UK transport industry through the network of LGBTQ+ networks, Journey,”

“In a climate where LGBTQ+ rights are being eroded both here and abroad, visibility is more important than ever to show that LGBTQ+ people are safe and welcome in our industry, both as colleagues and customers.”

Over three days (1-3 August), Alstom welcomed over 40,000 rail fans from around the globe at its Derby factory.

The train-maker’s sold-out charity extravaganza formed part of the wider festivities for Railway 200, a year-long celebration marking the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway on 27 September 1825 – and a journey that gave birth to the modern railway.