West Midlands Railway name train in honour of Lioness
It's ahead of the Women's Euros in Switzerland - which begins today
One of West Midlands Railway's newest trains has been named in honour of England footballer Jess Carter.
It's all as the Lionesses prepare to defend their Euros title - with the competition starting today in Switzerland (2 July).
The 27-year-old defender grew up in Warwickshire, and pupils from her former secondary school were among the guests at a special ceremony in her honour at Leamington Spa railway station on Tuesday morning.
Carter played youth football for Warwick Juniors before signing for Birmingham City aged 16.
She later transferred to Chelsea, where she won five consecutive Super League titles, completing the domestic treble in 2021. Jess now plays for top American side NY/NJ Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League.
She's won more than 40 caps for the Lionesses, and was one of the squad who famously lifted the Euro 2022 trophy at Wembley in front of 87,000 fans.
'We'll be cheering the Lionesses all the way'
Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: “The incredible success of the Lionesses in recent years has been inspirational for the country and we are thrilled to celebrate Jess’s achievement as a local footballer in this way.
“The West Midlands is passionate about football and by proudly bearing Jess’s name we hope this train will promote and encourage women and girls to get involved in sport and possibly inspire the next generation of Lionesses.
“In the meantime, we’ll be cheering the Lionesses all the way as they defend their title in Switzerland this summer.”
'Inspiring'
Rachel Cole, teacher at Myton School, said: “Jess was a talented all-round athlete and it has been inspiring to see how her career has progressed since leaving school.
“From winning titles to representing her country in the World Cup final, everyone at Myton is incredibly proud of what she has achieved and we’ll be supporting her and the Lionesses all the way this summer.
“We are delighted to play our part in naming a train in Jess’s honour and we hope it can help inspire the next generation of Jess Carters to achieve their sporting potential.”
The newly-named “Jess Carter” train is part of the Class 196 fleet with the unit number 196002.
The fleet came into service in 2022 on routes to/from Shrewsbury and the trains now serve destinations across the West Midlands including Hereford, Worcester, Nuneaton, Coventry and Leamington Spa.
The trains include modern features such as smart air conditioning, WiFi, power points at every seat and improved accessibility.
The train naming ceremony took place with the support of Chiltern Railways, operators of Leamington Spa station.