East Midlands Trains

After a long bidding stage, it was Stagecoach that finally won the franchise to merge Midland Mainline and Central Lines into a new service, East Midland Trains (EMT). By the time Integrity started working with the organisation the new franchise was to go live just 12 weeks later. On launch day, EMT needed to be ready to welcome customers and staff to its 83 stations with all brand-touchpoints changed. That meant a complete debrand and rebrand of key elements of all those stations – alongside extensive staff communications – in just three months.

Time challenge

The clock was ticking. And to make matters worse, neither EMT nor any companies working for them had any right to access the stations until the night before the launch date. Further complications were created by the number of stakeholders – with many companies involved offering a range of services. Integrity was the ‘glue’ that held them all together.

So what followed was a hugely involved project that was divided into two sections – getting ready for the launch and then developing the detailed brand implementation plan for station refurbishments. From audits of the sites, to brand engagement packs for the employees. From an overnight debrand and rebrand to enhancing the ticket office at St Pancras. Integrity has helped EMT establish itself as a major new rail operator – and help it deliver the crucial early stages of its franchise promises.

Case Studies

Engaging staff

It’s a tall order – asking an employee to work under one brand name on Friday and a completely different one on Monday. But this is exactly what happens when a train franchise changes hands – and exactly the challenge East Midlands Trains faced.... more

The St Pancras challenge

One of the projects with the tightest turnarounds for East Midlands Trains was when they asked us to transform the performance of their St Pancras ticket office in the week before Christmas, so they could take advantage of seasonal sales. ... more

All change please

One thing that all Integrity’s clients value and respect is that when they need a real hands-on approach, Integrity is never scared to roll up its sleeves and get stuck in. This was never truer than with the rebrand and debrand of East Midlands Trains' stations.... more

Strategic thinking

The best strategies can be summed up in very few words. The strategy we devised for East Midlands Train’s ongoing branding needed just three: remove, improve, rebrand.... more