London’s Euston station has been transformed into a festive dining hall as it caters for 200 homeless guests for Christmas dinner.

Network Rail, which runs the rail network and operates the station, joined forces with charities Streets Kitchen and St Mungo’s to host the dinner, to fill the main concourse with decorations and lay the tables.

Around 45 volunteers from Network Rail gave up their Christmas Day to work alongside volunteers from St Mungo’s, which provides beds and support to more than 2,700 people in England, and Streets Kitchen, which feeds 1,000 people on the streets every week.

The first guests began arriving at 11am for food, presents and goody bags of toiletries and clothes. Additionally, 200 children from local schools made Christmas cards for all who attend the event at the station, which is usually the UK’s fifth busiest. 

Steve Naybour, head of transformation in Network Rail’s track team, who is leading the team running the event, said: “Thousands and thousands of my colleagues will already be working on Christmas Day to improve the railway for passengers.

“Working on Christmas Day is pretty much par for the course for many of us who work for Network Rail but this year, because I wasn’t scheduled to work, myself and a handful of colleagues came up with this plan to feed some of London’s homeless instead.

“St Mungo’s and Streets Kitchen have been fantastic. And I’m proud to say we’ve had lots of interest from Network Rail colleagues to volunteer to come along on the day to help out.”

Joe Hendry, Euston station manager, said: “Stations are at the heart of local communities and we want to provide a legacy through good relationships with organisations like St Mungo’s and Streets Kitchen that supports the homeless community in and around our station long after the buzz of Christmas has died down.”