All aboard the Christmas express! Inleaf brings festive cheer to the rail network

• Avanti’s network received a cohesive festive makeover with 21 identical trees.
• Transpennine Express embraced bespoke tree sizes dressed in their brand colours.
• Inleaf helped both operators bring seasonal cheer to travellers across the UK.

As the festive season approaches, passengers across the UK will notice a touch of Christmas magic in their local train stations, thanks to Inleaf’s installations. This year two major train operators, Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express asked Inleaf to bring their festive vision to life. 

Avanti West Coast

The Avanti project is one of scale, consistency, and brand identity. The result is a nationwide festive transformation at stations across the West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Glasgow Central.

Ineaf installed 21 identical 8ft artificial Christmas trees decorated with blue and orange baubles to match Avanti’s signature brand. These displays brighten indoor ticket office areas across many of the busiest and most recognisable stations in the country.

With so many locations involved, the planning alone becomes an operation in its own right, a festive tour up and down the West Coast Main Line.

Transpennine Express

For the third year in a row, Inleaf also installed Christmas trees in 38 train stations across the North of England for Transpennine Express. This year the scheme was to include more stations including a café at Manchester Airport Station and various Transpennine Express offices. This builds on a partnership that has grown steadily over the last few years, with Inleaf also installing trees in non-station sites such as Bridgewater House and the Huddersfield training centre.

Transpennine’s display featured their signature brand colours of purple white and blue, creating a brand consistent look.

The centrepiece of the Transpennine Express installations sits in Hull: a towering 20-foot cone-style tree owned by the client and decorated by Inleaf. Beyond Hull, the festivity stretches across the North with a variety of tree sizes tailored to each station. Middlesbrough receives a dramatic 14-foot tree, while Scarborough, Dewsbury and Scunthorpe welcome impressive 10-foot displays. Many other stations feature elegant 8-foot trees that carry the same branded colour scheme.

Christmas has a way of softening even the busiest spaces, turning ticket halls and transit hubs into welcoming pauses in people’s journeys. At Inleaf, we’re proud to play a small part in that transformation.

Whether you’re travelling home, heading out on an adventure or simply passing through, we hope these festive installations bring a moment of joy along the way. We look forward to helping both networks sparkle again next year.