11 October 2024 •
Local rail operator Trenitalia c2c is proud to be taking part in the World Cup of Stations 2024, with the cafe at Shoeburyness taking on businesses across the country vying for the title of best local business.
Starting on 14 October, the competition’s theme for this year focuses on the businesses surrounding stations, titled ‘Station with the best local business,’ with ‘Kara’s Kitchen’ representing c2c’s Shoeburyness station.
Kara’s Kitchen, located outside Shoeburyness station every morning Monday-Friday (06:00-12:00), is an amazing café run from a converted horsebox, providing customers with fresh coffee, hot and cold drinks, as well as a variety of homemade sausage rolls, sandwiches, toasties, cakes and baked goods.
The Rail Delivery Group’s World Cup of Stations is an annual industry competition held since 2019 and will see 48 shortlisted stations battle it out head-to-head in an online public vote. Each round of voting will last for one day, opening at 08:00 and closing at 23:59. So, look out for the vote on c2c and the RDG’s social channels starting on 14 October.
A new report from WPI Economics, commissioned by the RDG, found that travelling by rail contributes over £9bn each year to independent businesses and in the region of £23bn to high streets across the country.
The overwhelming majority of people (70%) say that having a train station helps their local businesses thrive.
People travelling by rail are supporting local businesses by spending on average £32 in and around their departure station with £19 spent on the local high street, £7 inside the station and £6 in the vicinity of the station. Spending is highest on average when rail customers are travelling for leisure (£35), followed by commuting (£30) and then business travel (£26).
Jacqueline Starr, CEO of Rail Delivery Group, said:
“Rail is at the heart of local economies. Up and down the country, we’re seeing networks of small and medium businesses and independent companies thriving in and around train stations.
“For our customers, travelling by train is more than getting from A to B. It is a ticket to explore our towns and cities and support the businesses on their local high streets. If more people choose to travel by train in the future, we can only expect to see a stronger ripple effect, giving a further boost to local economies.”
Rob Mullen, Managing Director of c2c, added:
“We at c2c are delighted that Shoeburyness station has been recognised by the RDG and has been selected to take part in the World Cup of Stations competition. Shoeburyness is an amazing area and Kara’s Kitchen serves many of our passengers as they use our route on weekday mornings.
“The positive impact that railway stations have on local economies is invaluable to independent businesses, which is why we want to encourage all our passengers to support their local businesses, such as Kara’s Kitchen,” he added.
ENDS