Commuters really do love their railway station at Alexandra Palace where they have been running a volunteer group to look after the place between catching trains.

They have even planted a nature garden and held an urban rail festival because they feel the line to King’s Cross is “more than a railway”. 

The Friends of Ally Pally Station set up in 2016 aims to improve its environment and give a voice to passengers as well as get schools and businesses in the area involved.

“This is about the social impact,” the group’s founder Michael Williams said. “We bring people together using Ally Pally station.” 

It is part of the More Than a Railway campaign for more sustainable travel and rail tourism. 

Alexandra Palace is one of 155 stations ‘adopted’ by groups with 1,000 volunteers across the GTR and Southeastern network and around 1,300 across Britain, showing how railways play a social role in connecting communities.