A new radio comedy programme series celebrating rail travel will feature customers and staff on the west coast main line.

Being broadcast on Radio 4, it will feature the London to Glasgow route, which calls at Penrith and Carlisle, and the London to Holyhead route.

Strangers on a Train, to be broadcast in July and August, will hear stories shared by customers and employees while they travel across the UK.

Presented by comedian, actor and author Alexei Sayle, the six-part series sees him embark on a rail journey, taking a chance on who he might meet and inviting them to have a conversation with him.

He will talk to his fellow passengers in a quest for conversations that reveal their lives, hopes, dreams and destinations.

There he finds humour, sadness and surprise as people talk about what is going on in their lives and, as Alexei passes through familiar towns and cities, he also tells stories and memories from his career and childhood.

In the second episode, Alexei travels with Avanti West Coast from London to Glasgow and meets several customers including two people who are on holiday from Indonesia and have just fulfilled a lifetime’s dream of watching Liverpool play at Anfield.

He also talks to another who has been to his public speaking club which he joined to overcome his extreme shyness and someone who has lived most of her life on a sheep farm overlooking the stunningly beautiful Holy Loch in Argyll and Bute in Scotland.

The London to Glasgow programme features Mark Green, station manager for Avanti West Coast at Penrith, who shares some of his memories from his 30 years on the railway.

Mark said: “It was great to sit down and chat with Alexei.

“It’s clear he has a passion for travelling by train and that shone through in all his conversations with fellow travellers.

“It reinforced just how important the industry is to a whole host of people, all from different backgrounds and with their own story to tell.”

Strangers on a Train’s London to Glasgow episode airs on Sunday, July 17, at 7.15pm


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