Claire Young, Melody Hossaini, Palomo Vivanco and Dr Shibby Robati, stars of the BBC’s Apprentice teamed up with Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains onThursday 22 September to unveil ‘The Entrepreneur Express’.
The naming of East Midlands Trains’ Meridian 222001 as ‘The Entrepreneur Express’ kicked off the start of this year’s entrepreneur festival. MADE: The Entrepreneur Festival, started in Sheffield and includes a series of high profile events from partners including StartUp Britain, Virgin Media and TEDx.
With significant backing from BIS, the festival will welcome the Secretary of State for Business, Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP and Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, Mark Prisk MP, who will be announcing key enterprise initiatives.
A number of VIPs, including senior ministers and some of the UK’s top entrepreneurs, joined ‘The Entrepreneur Express’ (the 07.55 service from St Pancras) to travel to Sheffield for the festival.
Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of East Midlands Trains, said:
“We recognise the significance that good transport links play in economic growth and are pleased to be supporting this year’s festival through the naming of ‘The Entrepreneur Express’.
“As a company, we’re constantly coming up with new ideas to deliver improvements for our passengers, such as refurbished trains with new leather seats, a new all-day menu, on board WiFi and an initiative to run even greener trains.
“It therefore seems very appropriate for East Midlands Trains – a company committed to developing new ideas – to be supporting a festival designed for entrepreneurs and we are pleased to have been given an opportunity to transport a selection of the UK’s finest entrepreneurs on our fast, efficient and reliable train service to Sheffield”.
East Midlands Trains is currently carrying out a £6 million refurbishment of its fleet of 27 Meridian trains, which operate on services to and from London.
This refurbishment programme is delivering added passenger benefits such as luxury leather seats in First Class, new carpets and seat covers throughout as well as additional luggage space and a new space for buggies.
222001 is the third refurbished Meridian to be named and ‘The Entrepreneur Express’ nameplate will be seen by thousands of people as the train travels on the main line route to London.
