Great British Railways: Station identity and livery unveiling (09/12/25)

[Harlequinuk]

There, sorted it for you.

Think they are all getting `worked up` about red, white and blue - hence the word `virile` :P

edit:

I'm just hoping that they don't apply that colour palette to the interiors!

Think teenager's bedroom

Nothing like my own children`s bedroom at all ,when they were teenagers?? This isnt the 1980s anymore,

 

[jh64]

I don't care for putting flags on everything but taking the design as it is, it's a little bit like the (much better colours) Transpennine Express livery. The front should be red or white though.

 

[nlogax]

Glasgow Central is apparently getting the new branding.

Thanks for this. Passing through there tomorrow so good opportunity to get some pics.

 

[FenMan]

To my (untrained) eye, my view:

- Far too busy and full on
- Jarring angles and no use of soft curves akin to a flag fluttering in the breeze - see British Airways for more details
- No flow along the length of the train, so no impression of speed and sleekness
- The overuse of a deep blue and red combination - best used sparingly in my opinion - makes the trains look dark, heavy and slow, surely the opposite of what ought to be the main idea?

I'd run an open competition where professional design houses pitch their ideas with the best going forward to a public consultation. It's our railway (so we're being told) after all.

 

[PLY2AYS]

Yes it would be greatly improved if they kept it simple on the intermediate cars. It looks a bit like the shunter had a mare at the depot.

Agree with you and @Tetchytyke on this…

Needs simplification along the body itself.

 

[Harlequinuk]

To my (untrained) eye, my view:

- Far too busy and full on
- Jarring angles and no use of soft curves akin to a flag fluttering in the breeze - see British Airways for more details
- No flow along the length of the train, so no impression of speed and sleekness
- The overuse of a deep blue and red combination - best used sparingly in my opinion - makes the trains look dark, heavy and slow, surely the opposite of what ought to be the main idea?

I'd run an open competition where professional design houses pitch their ideas with the best going forward to a public consultation. It's our railway (so we're being told) after all.

You going to waste money on that multi million £££ competition then?

 

[nlogax]

The more I look the more the design is growing on me. A bit 'eat your flag' but otherwise it's..fine.

I am doubtful the final version will look like this.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Red all over, white horizontal stripe down the sides and white doors, and yellow ends. That would've been so much better.

 

[FenMan]

You going to waste money on that multi million £££ competition then?

The money would not be wasted.

 

[Jan Mayen]

The more I look the more the design is growing on me. A bit 'eat your flag' but otherwise it's..fine.

I am doubtful the final version will look like this.

I thought this was the final version!

 

[Andyh82]

You going to waste money on that multi million £££ competition then?

In a word yes, because in the context of what the railway spends, it’ll be pocket change

For something that will be applied on thousands of trains it should be done professionally not on the cheap

 

[Bantamzen]

For me it's not the colours that are the problem, they could be made to look really nice. It's the angular design, with some colours being stark contrasts whereas others barely noticeable. It feels rushed and rather amateur. I'm sure using curves, or blending colour changes a bit more would make it look less harsh and more organic. And I agree with others than the end car designs should not be replicated within the rest of the sets.

 

[ADIRU]

Why waste all of this money on a vanity project like this when the present government is unlikely to be in power for very long?

 

[birchesgreen]

I thought this was the final version!

Liveries can often be like military plans.

 

[Falcon1200]

Glasgow Central is apparently getting the new branding.

That's going to go down well with the Nationalists (including of course the Scottish Government). I look forward to the front page of tomorrow's National 'newspaper'.....

 

[AlterEgo]

For sure, this is a big part.

But I’d always seen flag waving as something a nation insecure in their identity has to do (eg the US, or a military dictatorship somewhere). I’d always seen the UK as more grown up. Not any more…

You need to get out more, respectfully. There are national flags everywhere in many tolerant and liberal countries, and the vacation of our national flag from mainstream places is what has left it open to be used as a signal of intolerance by people on the fringe.

 

[Jan Mayen]

Liveries can often be like military plans.

Never surviving contact with the enemy, or, in this case, passenger?

 

[DarloRich]

The more I look the more the design is growing on me. A bit 'eat your flag' but otherwise it's..fine.

I am doubtful the final version will look like this.

Exactly - I see this as a launch event.

As I said I expect some differences for regions and services

 

[Deepgreen]

Sadly, the livery as depicted looks tacky and cheap to me. The intermediate coaches' arrows look awkward and the colours themselves are garish and lack any elegance. I really hope the opportunity is taken to make this better before we are doomed to this for xx years to come.

 

[birchesgreen]

Never surviving contact with the enemy, or, in this case, passenger?

Same thing surely?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Why waste all of this money on a vanity project like this when the present government is unlikely to be in power for very long?

The term "Great British Railways" was invented by the Tories (Grant Shapps when SoS).
Reform like to fly the flag too.

 

[lh33]

They had a version on a different train

https://x.com/todaysrailways/status/1998158095399154111?s=46&t=VDDeXp68odXgM42zzSoZ3g

You know what, on the other train I quite like it. But on the 80xs it just looks a bit rubbish

 

[DarloRich]

Why waste all of this money on a vanity project like this when the present government is unlikely to be in power for very long?

There are several years until the next election......

That's going to go down well with the Nationalists (including of course the Scottish Government). I look forward to the front page of tomorrow's National 'newspaper'.....

I can't see Scotland and Wales giving up their regional identity.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Looks to me like the Avanti branding but in more garish colours and in a more angular style.

It's more like TPE - same basic shapes albeit not exactly the same - but somehow manages to look awful when TPE looks really good.

The double arrow and GBR looks OK, it's the wider colour scheme which grates.

Disagree. Rail Alphabet 2 is a utilitarian font totally unsuitable for a logotype. By all means (much as I dislike it with a passion) use it on signage and the likes because while it looks utterly awful it is clear and easy to read, but a logo needs a more designer font to work well. See also Avanti's awful use of a Helvetica like font on the abbreviated (just "A") logo.

Yes, SBB works well with a Helvetica font, but that's (a) because Helvetica is specifically associated to Switzerland, (b) because Helvetica, unlike RA2, is actually a nice font (OK, this is opinion), and (c) the livery it sits on is in line with the font's utilitarian design in being basic and understated despite using some bright colour.

It would look a lot better without any of the lettering and just the double arrow.

We still don't know if all trains will get this branding, or just inter-city types like the 80x shown.

I suspect no train will ever wear that specific design given the utter slating it is getting, even from the Reformers and the likes. They'll try again before anything gets painted in it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Dec 2025 ==

I can't see Scotland and Wales giving up their regional identity.

Nor I.

I doubt it will be applied to ScotRail, TfW, TfL or Merseyrail, aside from where you see Network Rail branding on those now. In essence it will just replace any Network Rail branding in those devolved areas. I'd also expect not to see it on any Bee Network, Weaver Network (nee Metro), Tyne and Wear or West Midlands devolved services and other areas which may devolve their GBR operated services in a similar way, just as those areas had dedicated liveries in BR days.

 

[stuu]

For sure, this is a big part.

But I’d always seen flag waving as something a nation insecure in their identity has to do (eg the US, or a military dictatorship somewhere). I’d always seen the UK as more grown up. Not any more…

This, 100% agree

 

[Sad Sprinter]

Alright, so I’ve seen the display they’ve got at London Bridge station. They’ve got a small Hornby layout with an IET in the new livery. It DOES look a bit better on a model, I see what they’re getting at. But it’s still a bit too much.

 

[Busman652004]

Glasgow Central's had GBR branding put all over it this morning, interesting considering how Scotland''s in large part excluded from GBR related things with the devolution of ScotRail and the like.

Including the barriers I've just gone through to Scotrail only low level platforms 16 and 17. Wonder how long that will last.

 

[topydre]

And here's the uniform for staff on the repainted trains/units:

(runs for cover)
(the above picture shows a person wearing a suit entirely composed of union flags)

 

[sh24]

You need to get out more, respectfully. There are national flags everywhere in many tolerant and liberal countries, and the vacation of our national flag from mainstream places is what has left it open to be used as a signal of intolerance by people on the fringe.

I'm at a 150 countries ticked off, so have been out plenty! But it's an interest take with a lot of merit that not using the flag has allowed the takeover.

 

[RiverDon]

Wow! Rangers fans will love it!