Launch of new flagship Aurora trains

Introduction

East Midlands Railway (EMR) is a major UK train operating company, connecting communities across the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and beyond, with services linking cities including London, Derby, Nottingham, Lincoln, Sheffield and Leicester. As part of a significant investment into the future of its network, EMR introduced its brand-new Aurora trains — a modern fleet designed to transform the customer experience through improved comfort, performance, accessibility and design.

To mark this milestone, EMR required a standout launch event that would celebrate the arrival of the Aurora trains, inspire internal teams and stakeholders, and reflect the innovation and ambition behind the new fleet.

TeamBA was appointed to help bring this vision to life.

Services:

Audio Visuals / Event Management

The
Vision

EMR’s ambition was to deliver a flagship VIP event that would showcase the Aurora trains in a truly authentic and memorable setting — inside their brand-new maintenance shed at Etches Park depot, Derby.

The event needed to do more than simply unveil a train. It had to deliver a genuine “wow factor”, mirroring the experience customers will feel when they step onboard the Aurora fleet for the first time. Being home of the new Aurora fleet, it was important that the depot itself was part of the story, transformed into an immersive event environment while still keeping the train firmly front and centre.

Key to the vision was ensuring the space was fully dressed in the Aurora brand, featuring:

A striking stage and presentation area
Large-scale visuals that told the story of the Aurora trains
An atmospheric aurora borealis-inspired lighting display, creating a sense of excitement, pride and celebration

The result needed to feel bold, premium and unforgettable — a fitting launch for a transformational investment.

The
Journey

Delivering an event of this scale within a live rail maintenance depot required careful planning, collaboration and creativity.

The journey began with detailed site visits, allowing TeamBA to fully understand the operational environment and explore how the depot could be transformed into a safe, engaging and high-impact event venue — while ensuring the new Aurora train remained the focal point throughout.

Working closely with EMR’s depot management and safety teams, EMR developed a comprehensive plan to operate the event safely by designating the space as a controlled “Green Zone”. This ensured all guests, staff and suppliers could move through the environment confidently and compliantly, without compromising operational safety and standards.

TeamBA then took responsibility for the full event build and production, including:

Creating a defined event space with a large central stage, LED video wall and a custom-built branded backdrop
Designing and installing a feature wall showcasing the story of the Aurora trains, bringing the journey, technology and vision behind the fleet to life
Providing facilities for exhibitors, alongside essential welfare infrastructure such as security barriers and temporary toilet facilities

To elevate the arrival experience, we also designed and delivered a dramatic aurora borealis lighting installation. Using four lighting towers equipped with a range of intelligent fixtures and uplighters, we created an immersive lighting display that washed the space in colour and movement — leaving a powerful first impression as guests entered the depot.

Every element was carefully coordinated to ensure the environment felt purposeful, polished and worthy of the occasion.

The
Impact

The event delivered exactly what EMR set out to achieve.

Guests left inspired by the scale of investment and the ambition behind the Aurora fleet, with the trains presented as a clear symbol of EMR’s commitment to the future of rail travel. The immersive setting, storytelling visuals and dramatic lighting helped create a sense of pride and excitement that resonated long after the event ended.

For EMR’s internal teams, the launch became a moment to celebrate a huge collective achievement — recognising the effort, collaboration and expertise involved in delivering such a significant new train programme.

By transforming an operational maintenance depot into a flagship event space, TeamBA helped EMR create a powerful, memorable launch that truly reflected the innovation and quality of the Aurora trains.

A few words from the client

Delivering such a high profile and momentous event within the live operational environment of EMR’s Etches Park depot was a major logistical and creative challenge, but TeamBA made the whole process feel effortless. From the initial vision and detailed site visits through to the meticulous execution on the day, the team demonstrated a level of professionalism and control that gave us complete confidence. Their flexible, solution-oriented approach and “can-do” attitude helped us transform a working depot into an immersive, memorable event space that truly reflected our ambitions for this event and helped to build excitement in anticipation for the launch of our new Aurora fleet. TeamBA worked seamlessly with the team at EMR - bridging creative, technical and operational needs to deliver an event that captured our vision perfectly.

Lynsey Buxton Head of Employee Communications & Engagement, EMR