We want to serve our customers and the communities in which we operate by helping community rail partnerships to provide local rail infrastructure. This is part of our goal to continually improve public and neighbour perceptions and experience of Network Rail.
Community rail partnerships encourage the use of rail, particularly on more lightly used parts of the network. They help to increase community involvement in the delivery of local rail services and promote rail through marketing and station improvement schemes.We work with community rail partnerships to support the rural and local railways that are important to the communities they serve.
Our Support
Our continued commitment to community rail is reflected in our dedicated team of three staff and our allocation of resources to support community rail partnerships.
Community rail partnerships
Community rail partnerships exist across the country. Following the publication of the Strategic Rail Authority Community Rail Strategy in November 2004, adopted by the Department for Transport (DfT), partnerships were encouraged to apply for designated status for routes meeting a number of criteria.
Community rail designation can cover either the service and relevant stations (service designation) or both the service and all the infrastructure (route designation).
In 2010/11, consideration was given to the Yorkshire Coastline and Barton-upon-Humber Cleethorpes routes who were hoping to be designated, but this wasn’t possible due to resource restraints and changes in the partnerships. In early 2011, the Bishop Line (Bishop Auckland-Darlington) was designated by the DfT.
Investing in Community Rail
With the DfT and the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) we have contributed to a fund that supports initiatives on designated community rail routes and services. In 2010/11, we contributed £25,000 to the fund, the DfT provided a further contribution, and projects themselves have leveraged a total of £135,000 in matched funding.
We also sponsored a number of categories in the 2010 ACoRP Community Rail Awards including ‘Involving Young People’, ‘Station Development’ and the ‘Outstanding Railway Staff Contribution’. These awards recognise the value and achievements that partnerships provide to the railway.