A giant artwork by St Neots artist Carli Pfurtscheller has been seen by thousands of rail passengers since it was installed at the town’s railway station earlier this year.

The 47m (155ft) mural covers the footbridge and is the largest of more than 200 community art projects installed for rail firm GTR at 40 stations in the region as part of a wider scheme to enhance their ambience.

GTR called for professional, student and hobby artists to come forward after passengers and residents said art would be one of the best ways of improving their stations.

Carli, a graphic designer and illustrator, was selected by the Neotists group of local creative professionals after the GTR appeal was spotted by rail user Eleanor Gray and was backed by the Loves Farm community association.

It took Carli more than 110 hours to complete the work which includes local landmarks.

She said: “I feel privileged to have been chosen to work on this project. It’s been a challenge given the size and shape of the mural, but I’m really happy with the results.

“I’ve tried to include as many recognisable landmarks and buildings, old and new, as I could. There should be something in the mural that everyone who lives in the area can relate to.”

She added: “There’s a bit of artistic licence when it comes to colours as I wanted to make it really vibrant and bright. I hope I’ve done the town
justice in the illustration.”

GTR said the scheme created a 300km (190 mile) art gallery across eight counties.

Tom Moran, managing director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said: “We called out to communities to help us brighten up their stations, and we’ve been amazed by the talent of the many artists who have come forward.

"We’ve commissioned over 200 works in the past year – that’s enough for one in every room of the Shard’s Shangri-La Hotel!

“All the art is produced by local people, inspired by where they live. So it doesn’t just make our stations more vibrant and inspiring for our customers - it gives us an even stronger bond with the communities we serve.”