Thursday the 23rd of March marks three years since the first Covid-19 lockdown and saw the rail industry join together in order to celebrate the essential role played by rail colleagues throughout the pandemic and also to remember those who sadly lost their lives across the industry in a memorial day.

The memorial event took place in York at The National Railway Museum where a service for hundreds of employees who played their role as key workers keeping vital goods on the move during the pandemic was held.

Further services also took place at stations, offices and depots right across the country, including:

• Birmingham Moor Street
• Glasgow Central
• Manchester Piccadilly
• London Waterloo
• London King’s Cross.

In attendance at the memorial day in York were Network Rail’s chief executive, Andrew Haines, and chair Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill who unveiled a plaque dedicated to railway employees who served the country throughout the pandemic.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Network Rail chair, said “The memorial service was an opportunity to pay tribute to the courage, dedication, and sacrifice of our staff and to acknowledge their key role in keeping the country moving during the pandemic. I have been humbled by the stories of loss suffered by individuals and their families across the railway industry and we should never forget their sacrifice.”

The York memorial service was live-streamed to the entire railway family, allowing them to join online in order to mark the contribution that the railway made in order to keep the country functioning whilst recognising the personal sacrifice and the sad loss of members.

The event was organised by the Railway Mission and was the idea of the organisation’s executive director Liam Johnston and the director of people and culture at British Transport Police Rachael Etebar. The event also saw one-minute silence held at 12pm, observed across railway offices, depots and stations all over the country.