LEEDS, England — How do you mark the launch of a new, faster passenger rail service?
For one British operator, the answer was to hold a “speed dating” event matching singles from the two endpoints of the new service.
The event on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Leeds station was sponsored by Northern Rail, the UK’s second largest train operator, to mark the launch of its “Yorkshire Flyer” service between Leeds and Sheffield, which makes the 35-mile trip in 47 minutes with just one intermediate stop. Those who were matched at the event received a free travel pass to encourage further connection.
“Yorkshire Flyer is all about creating better connections across the region, so we wanted to mark its launch in a way that reflected that message,” Northern’s Commercial and Customer Director, Alex Hornby, said in a press release. “Hosting a speed dating event at Leeds station was a light-hearted but meaningful way of bringing people together while showcasing the benefits of our new, faster service between Leeds and Sheffield.”
Northern Rail operates more than 2,650 trains a day, serving more than 500 stations in the north of England.
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I was on a train that sped at about ten miles an hour between Leeds and Sheffield and I’m married so I don’t speed-date.