Woke row after train repainted to celebrate diversity
An Avanti West Coast train has been 'wrapped' in bold artwork celebrating the 'vibrant' ethnicity of the company's workforce and the communities it serves.
Gareth Bacon, the Conservative shadow transport secretary, described the move as 'virtue-signalling nonsense' adding that passengers deserved 'better than this farce'.
Baraka Carberry, a digital artist, who created the livery for Avanti, said it showed 'scenes of people, culture, colours and joy'.
The Together We Roll design stretches across all seven carriages of a new Evero train due to enter passenger service this summer. It was produced following a suggestion from the operator's frontline workers at Euston station, The Telegraph understands.
But Mr Bacon said: 'Avanti West Coast can't run a train on time but they can find the time and money for virtue-signalling nonsense.
'While passengers are stranded on platforms waiting for services that never show up, Avanti are busy patting themselves on the back for colourful train paint jobs.
'This nonsense won't fix the delays, cancellations, and endless chaos that Labour have caused with their 'no-strings' pay giveaway to the unions.
'Passengers need functioning rail services and deserve better than this farce.'
Kathryn O'Brien, Avanti West Coast customer experience director, said: 'Nothing like this has been seen on the UK's railways.
'We're incredibly proud of this unique train and who it represents.
'By bringing to life the vibrant communities we serve and our employees, we hope to highlight the many people of different cultures, backgrounds and heritage who have a connection to the railway.'
She added: 'This vibrant train marks our latest step towards this by sparking conversations about ethnicity and bringing a sense of togetherness across the west coast and beyond.'
Lord Hendy, the rail minister, said: 'Diversity is key to the success of any industry and creative work like this goes a long way in sparking conversations, encouraging inclusion and may inspire more people to choose a career in rail.
'We still have a long way to go until we have a railway which reflects the society we live in, but Together We Roll shows Avanti West Coast's commitment to representing more of the communities they serve, and I look forward to seeing Baraka's artwork out on the track.'
Ms Carberry, who previously designed a Windrush-themed bus wraparound covering for Transport for London, described the Avanti train livery as 'a living, evolving artwork that has the potential to resonate with the public'.
She added: 'My hope is that people will connect with the universal moments captured here and reflect on their own unique legacies.'
Last year, state-owned East Coast Main Line operator LNER provoked a row after accusing a passenger of 'transphobia' for asking questions about a Gay Pride-themed train livery.
A senior LNER manager trawled through Carol Fossick's social media posts to justify the accusation, despite admitting the company spent £58,000 on the paintwork.
Avanti declined to comment on the cost of its diversity train livery.
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