Talented students create vibrant posters to celebrate Yorkshire’s railway heritage for Railway 200 event

Credit: Northern Trains

Impressive artwork inspired by iconic British Railways posters has been created for Northern stations in Yorkshire. Eleven art students from East Riding College designed posters to brighten Beverley station, celebrate the town, and promote destinations like Sheffield. The posters are being unveiled today as part of the Railway 200 celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.

Details on the Railway 200 event

Students from Rotherham College, New College Pontefract, and Keighley College also created eye-catching posters displayed at their local stations. They were tasked with reimagining the classic British Railways adverts from the 1930s and 1940s to encourage travel across Yorkshire.

The artwork was unveiled after the students were taken on journeys by Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership to gain inspiration and boost their confidence in train travel.

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: “We’re seriously impressed with the quality of the artwork that has been produced as part of the Railway 200 celebrations. These talented students and their families can feel a real sense of pride when they see their posters displayed at their local stations.”

Northern funded the project and also took 21 students to the Houses of Parliament to meet MPs and discuss their work on improving local stations. East Riding College students were provided free travel to London by Hull Trains.

Claire Haigh, head of faculty at East Riding College, said: “We love to give our students real-world experience leading to the best possible opportunities. The brief gave them the chance to research the railways and Sheffield as a tourist destination and broadened the project into graphic design history.”

She added: “The posters are a wonderful advertisement for both the railways and the creativity our students are developing. I wish them all a huge well done for delivering exceptional pieces of artwork.”

Paul Jackson, head of customer and stakeholder engagement at Hull Trains, said: “At Hull Trains, being part of the community matters to us. Engaging with students like those from East Riding College shows how important rail connections are for opportunity, growth, and future careers.”

Northern operates 2,500 services a day to over 500 stations across the North of England.