{"id":394133,"date":"2026-03-26T20:21:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=191155"},"modified":"2026-03-26T20:21:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:21:05","slug":"alstom-recognised-as-a-trailblazer-for-workplace-inclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=394133","title":{"rendered":"Alstom recognised as a \u2018Trailblazer\u2019 for workplace inclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has been nationally recognised as a \u2018Trailblazer\u2019 in its commitment to being an inclusive place to work in the UK.<\/p>\n

The rail company has been accredited as a Trailblazing Employer in Stonewall\u2019s Proud Employers Accreditation scheme \u2013 the highest level of accreditation. Established in 1989, Stonewall is a UK charity that advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer+ (LGBTQ+) rights.<\/p>\n

The Trailblazer level of accreditation is awarded only to organisations that demonstrate true leadership, with exceptional commitment to LQBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace that inspires others. In its assessment, Stonewall particularly praised Alstom for adopting inclusive policies, focusing on intersectionality and initiating activities to drive forward inclusion across its supply chain and the wider rail sector. <\/p>\n

As the country\u2019s foremost supplier of new trains and train services, and a leading signalling and infrastructure provider, Alstom is committed to being a fully inclusive organisation. In 2018, Alstom founded its own employee resource group for LGBTQ+ staff and their allies \u2013 Voices of Pride+ \u2013 with its aim to create a more supportive and equitable workplace culture for everyone.<\/p>\n

Diverse workforce<\/strong><\/p>\n

During this time, Alstom has implemented widespread diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training that was attended by over 2,100 employees across the UK and Ireland; taken its \u2018Be the U in inclUsive\u2019 roadshow to the majority of the company\u2019s 37 sites across the two countries; and has demonstrated improvements in increasing the number of diverse employees.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing recognised by Stonewall as a Trailblazing Employer is an enormous honour and a powerful validation of the journey we\u2019re on at Alstom. This accreditation reflects the strength of our commitment to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can be their authentic self,\u201d said Piers Wood, Managing Director Ireland and Senior Sponsor of Voices of Pride+ at Alstom.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cOur people are at the heart of this achievement. Their openness, advocacy and willingness to challenge and improve how we work has shaped a culture that celebrates diversity and drives meaningful change across our business and the wider rail sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2017, Alstom launched its biannual EDI census to identify improvement areas in the UK and Ireland. From the findings, the company developed and delivered the Alstom8 workshops to raise awareness and give practical advice on how to successfully drive inclusivity in the workplace.<\/p>\n

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Lived experiences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alongside this, its four \u2018Voices of\u2019 groups \u2013 Cultural Diversity, Disability, Pride+ and Women \u2013 help to share lived experiences; challenge groupthink in its strategy and policies; have oversight of relevant key performance indicators (KPIs); and act as ambassadors.<\/p>\n

\u201cAchieving Trailblazer accreditation is the result of several years of sustained effort, collaboration and honest reflection across the whole organisation. This is Stonewall\u2019s first year running their new accreditation, and to reach the highest level straight away shows just how far we\u2019ve come by making practical changes that make a difference to LGBTQ+ colleagues every day,\u201d said Pippa Armstrong, Train System Engineer and Chair of Voices of Pride+ at Alstom.<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cFrom strengthening our leadership approach to deepening our external engagement, teams across Alstom have worked tirelessly to drive inclusion forward. This recognition celebrates not only where we are now, but the dedication, passion and lived experience that have shaped our journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, Alstom works closely with charity Micro Rainbow, which benefits LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees, and has proudly hosted an employability day in Derby for its beneficiaries. As part of the company\u2019s Community Project Fund, Alstom funds a Moving On Officer at Micro Rainbow; their role offers one-to-one support in helping find employment, accessing skills training and pursuing further education, as well as providing assistance with seeking financial support.<\/p>\n

Inclusive liveries<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, various Alstom vehicles carry a stylish rainbow design \u2013 or \u2018trainbow\u2019 \u2013 to celebrate Pride and the LGBTQ+ community. This includes Avanti West Coast\u2019s Class 390 Pendolino No. 390119 \u2018Progress\u2019, Elizabeth line\u2019s Class 345 Aventra No. 345055 \u2018Every Story Matters\u2019 and West Midlands Railway\u2019s Class 730 Aventra No. 730018 \u2013 named \u2018Hurst Street\u2019 in honour of Birmingham\u2019s Gay Village.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in 2024, Alstom unveiled a \u2018trambow\u2019 with East Midlands Railway (EMR) and tramway Nottingham Express Transit (NET) ahead of Notts Pride. Within the workplace itself, Alstom champions LGBTQ+ visibility, including flying the Progress Pride year-round outside its Litchurch Lane Works and having installed a Pride wall inside its Crewe Works. This makes the point to staff and visitors that inclusion is a daily responsibility and should not be confined to just Pride Month.<\/p>\n

Award-winning<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. 390119 and No. 730018 were exhibits at last year\u2019s record-breaking railway festival, The Greatest Gathering, held at Alstom\u2019s Litchurch Lane Works in Debry. Together with Journey, a not-for-profit organisation for LGBTQ+ professionals working in the transport sector, Alstom organised the world’s first Pride parade on a train at the Railway 200 event. Last month, the initiative received the Diversity & Inclusion in Rail accolade at the Rail Business Awards.<\/p>\n

Ahead of their Stonewall accreditation it was also announced that Alstom has been nominated for the Inclusive Company honour at the 2026 British LGBT Awards, the UK\u2019s biggest celebration of LGBTQ+ visibility. Winners will be announced on Thursday 28 May in London at a ceremony that will bring together role models, allies and organisations in an evening celebrating progress, pride and possibility.<\/p>\n

Image credit: Alstom<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has been nationally recognised as a \u2018Trailblazer\u2019 in its commitment to being an inclusive place to work in the UK. The rail company has been accredited as a Trailblazing Employer in Stonewall\u2019s Proud Employers Accreditation scheme \u2013 the highest level of accreditation. Established in 1989, Stonewall is [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8202,9661,16940,16017,47,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-394133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-company-news","category-diversity","category-diversity-inclusion","category-industry-news","category-rail-news","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=394133"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":394134,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394133\/revisions\/394134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=394133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=394133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=394133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}