Why we love rail

Posted by Amelia Spanton on 26 January 2022

Here at Hey Me, we are sheer, unadulterated rail obsessives. With over 30 years’ combined experience in the rail industry between our small but mighty team, we thrive on working with our rail specific clients and helping them to bring their stories to life.

Thanks to social media star Francis Bourgeois, the rail industry is experiencing a pop culture renaissance. His short form videos on Tik Tok and Instagram have garnered millions of views, celebrity cameos, industry partnerships including Network Rail and South Western Railway and even a coveted fashion partnership in the form of the recent Gucci and North Face collaboration. We thoroughly enjoy his videos, they always bring a smile to our face and it is fantastic to see the rail industry and its locomotives, with its rich history, get the recognition it thoroughly deserves.

A photo taken low to the ground of railway tracks under a sunset.

However, what is it that makes the rail industry such an exciting space to work? What makes trainspotters tick and what should the non-rail lovers amongst us take the time to stop and acknowledge? We spoke to members of the Hey Me team to glean some insights about the magic of rail:

Emma Lever, PR & Communications Manager:

“Before working in the rail industry, I simply viewed it as a means of travel however when I started my first role in rail communications in 2013, I was quite simply astounded at the intricacies, innovation and ideas that bubble under the surface. Now in 2022, I love looking at what locomotives are running across the network and delighted in seeing the battery train during COP26.

“For the modern age, it is the most sustainable, greenest way to travel. Jumping on the train from Glasgow to London, I love putting my headphones on and watching the world go by, for that little bit of ‘me time’ that other forms of transport don’t provide, safe in the knowledge that I am reducing my carbon output and contributing to the future investment of such a special industry.”

Amelia Spanton, Social Media & Communications Executive:

“Having joined Hey Me in early 2021 without much prior knowledge about the rail industry, it was lovely to see the passion and innovation at its centre. I have always enjoyed travelling by train, having frequently travelled the long journey between York and Devon across my time at university. Train travel has also played a key role in my goal to become more sustainable, being the greenest transport option.

“I’ve loved seeing the amazing enthusiasm of Francis Bourgeois and his rise to internet stardom. His story of reigniting his passion of trainspotting and becoming his authentic self during lockdown is wonderful.”

If you would be interested in learning more about how Hey Me can support you with developing your rail communications strategy, then get in touch with us via emma@heyme.co.uk

“Since day one, Amy herself has fit seamlessly into our team, understanding the message we want to convey and the audiences we want to reach. Her upfront audit was invaluable in helping us internally hone our common voice, which has demonstrated itself in the consistency of the content we put out as a brand and as individuals within the company. Behind the scenes, Amy has instinctively adopted our internal communication methods (Slack, SharePoint) and works closely with our in-house graphic design team to ensure our graphics and copy are in sync.” Lucy Prior MBE - previously from 3Squared 2021

“After meeting Amy a few years ago, I was able to provide her with an opportunity to manage the comms on a major alliance, alongside Marie from Doodle HR, which she flourished at. Amy helped me to implement a more structured approach, freeing up my time to work more closely with clients and create new content. Hey Me are easy to deal with and quick to provide valuable solutions; I wouldn’t hesitate to work with Amy and the team again” Karen Duncan - Lanehead Coniston

“Working with Hey Me is very straight forward - they take you through whatever process is needed, with clear instruction and good ideas. Since working with Hey Me, Zak Mobility now has a strong brand identity and purposeful website that is fit for purpose. I would recommend Hey Me to other companies, as they do a professional job with a friendly face.” Sam Pearce - CEO, Zak Mobility

“As a member of the RIA SME Leadership team, Amy ran a slimdown version of the Hey Me messaging workshops in 2023. The workshops helped the team to delve deeper into what the SME group stood for, what it meant to them as individuals and businesses and what they wanted to gain from communications. By holding up a mirror to those in the group and using a tiered approach, the group was able to find a common purpose and with Hey Me's help, a common language which best represented the aims of the leadership team and our RIA SME members. The fantastic results of this can be seen in action on our SME page of our website.” Isabella Lawson - Railway Industry Association

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