SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) today celebrated the ‘adoption’ of Vauxhall station by its Pride Network of LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies and the charity LGBT HERO.
LGBT HERO is the national health and wellbeing charity for LGBTQ+ people, based in South West London, supporting over 100,000 individuals every month.
Station adoption is part of the growing community rail movement, which sees local groups volunteer to take more active roles in their stations, helping them to better reflect and serve the community.
The move is backed by the Member of Parliament for Vauxhall and Camberwell Green, Florence Eshalomi, the Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, Seb Dance, and Lambeth Council, as well as Transport for London, which interchanges with the station.
This morning Florence Eshalomi MP, SWR’s Managing Director, Stuart Meek, and LGBT HERO’s Chair, Alan Palmer, unveiled a commemorative plaque and pieces by local LGBTQ+ artists at the station’s waiting room, where they also cut a rainbow ribbon.
Vauxhall is one of London’s busiest stations, with over 13 million entries and exits annually, and is the first major station in the UK adopted by an LGBTQ+ group.
The area is well known for its strong links to the LGBTQ+ community. Almost one in ten residents identify as LGBTQ+ and South London’s oldest gay venue, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, is among the many destinations just moments from the station.
The adoption of Vauxhall is part of SWR’s All Aboard campaign to end all discrimination and abuse against customers and colleagues on the railway and encourage anyone who experiences such behaviour to report it to the British Transport Police.
A 2023 report by London TravelWatch on the experiences of LGBTQ+ people travelling in the capital revealed that 82% change their behaviour or appearance to avoid abuse.
It also found that one in five experienced hate crimes on the transport network in the past year, echoing a survey by LGBT HERO in Lambeth, with 84% not reporting the incidents.
Among its 12 recommendations, the watchdog called for greater collaboration between transport operators, decision-makers and police authorities, including working with trusted third parties in the LGBTQ+ community.
SWR and LGBT HERO are committed to building stronger ties between Vauxhall station and the local community, engaging with the public on issues impacting the community and championing inclusion and safety on the transport network.
SWR is also joining the Lambeth Allies Programme, a coalition of organisations committed to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Lambeth, developed by LGBT HERO and Lambeth Council.
Stuart Meek, Interim Managing Director of South Western Railway, commented:
“Stations aren’t simply about getting from A to B; they should involve, reflect and serve their local community — and celebrate everything that makes a community special.
“We’re incredibly excited to have LGBT HERO and our own Pride Network colleagues adopting Vauxhall, a station that could not be more appropriate with the area’s thriving and longstanding links to the LGBTQ+ community.
“We launched our All Aboard campaign because everyone should feel safe and respected while travelling on the transport network, and no one should ever face discrimination or abuse.
“By working together in partnerships such as this, we can make a real difference for customers, colleagues and communities across our region.”
