A scheme which allows local communities to adopt under-used
stations and rail lines is set to enter a new era under
multi-million pound plans to be announced by the Rail Minister
today (6 November 2017).
Nearly 60 Community Rail
Partnerships (CRPs) have been set up
around the country since 1993, and have helped to revive and
reshape more than 80 routes and stations, thanks to volunteers,
community engagement and funding from the government and train
operators, which last year topped £3 million.
And now the Department for Transport plans to build on the
success of the scheme by launching an updated community rail
strategy – with millions of pounds of investment available for
successful schemes. The plan is to see the scheme expanded and
replicated on a wider scale across the country.
The most successful projects have seen passenger numbers boosted,
while others have recreated railway stations as important
community hubs.
Rail Minister said:
We have seen nearly a quarter of a century of communities
pulling together to breathe new life into railway lines and
stations - and we want to build on that success.
We want give the volunteers the support they deserve, spread
their success and encourage new partnerships to be created and
flourish.
This forms a key part of the investment the government is
making in the railways – the biggest since the Victorian era,
delivering new carriages, new routes, track upgrades and better
stations.
The minister is launching a consultation into how to
expand and enhance community partnerships today at one
of the scheme’s success stories, Burnley’s Manchester Road
station. Over the past year, the station has seen passenger
numbers rise by more than 100,000.
The funding each partnership receives allows them to promote
their station or line in the local community and improve
accessibility which has increased passenger footfall and helped
to reduce vandalism.
More than 3,200 volunteers give 250,000 hours of their time
every year to partnerships across the network.
The new strategy for England and Wales is the first since 2007,
and will be launched in Spring next year following the end of
the public consultation on 28 January 2018.
The consultation focuses on 4 themes
- connecting people to places and opportunities
- supporting communities, diversity and inclusion
- supporting local and regional economies
- suggesting innovative ways to improve the way the railway
works
The Association of Community Rail Partnerships
(ACoRP),
the national umbrella organisation for community rail, has also
produced a booklet setting out the
benefits of community rail.
