Rail Transport in Cumbria Task Group Review

Communities and Place

Scrutiny

Board

Rail Transport in

Cumbria Task Group

Review

Contents Page

Summary of the Group’s Findings and Recommendations 3

Background and Context 5

Evidence Gathered and Witness Interviews 6

Findings and Recommendations 12

Appendix – Discover Cumbria by Train

Summary of the Group’s Findings and Recommendations

The Rail Task Group was established by the Communities and Place Scrutiny Advisory Board at its meeting on 10 January 2014. Rail Transport in Cumbria had been identified as a suitable subject for a scrutiny review during the work programme setting session held the previous year. It was recognised that there are many strands to rail transport in Cumbria and there are currently several issues facing the industry that could impact on future rail services within the county and connections to services outwith Cumbria. An appropriate rail transport system is vital to the economic wellbeing of the county particularly in respect of promoting sustainable economic growth.

The timing of this review is opportune as the current arrangements for the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises are due to come to an end shortly and at the time of writing the Government is expected a consultation on the arrangements for the refranchising in early June 2014. A major tenet of this review is therefore to examine the current arrangements and recommend to Cabinet areas which it is felt the Government should include in the new franchises.

SMB agreed that the aims and objectives of this review would be:

● To consider the current rail refranchising exercise and to make suggestions to Cabinet regarding the council’s response to the consultation on the proposals.

● To look at the other rail lines within Cumbria to explore how these could be used to further support economic development and investments in the county.

In undertaking this review the Task Group gathered evidence from a range of sources from within the County Council, existing franchise holding rail companies and community rail partnerships. As a result of this work the Group has developed a series of recommendations which are outlined in this report for consideration. Members would also like to highlight a number of key issues and points that they were made aware of over the course of this review.

○ when the Northern franchise was last let it was on the basis that little growth was expected in rail travel, however, the opposite has in fact been the case and the railways now carry more and more passengers year on year however investment, services and rolling stock have not kept pace with these increases. The Task Group felt that issues of governance of the franchises need to be properly explored and mechanisms for reviewing growth and capacity should be built in before the franchises are let

○ the planned developments on the Energy Coast will place more pressures on infrastructure requirements. The Task Group wished to highlight the role of the railways in serving passengers and freight and that this will be crucial to the future prosperity of the area and to protect the environment from increasing vehicular use;

○ there is a need to run Sunday and 24 hours services on the Cumbrian coastal route to help service the nuclear industry, to allow local people to travel by rail to shop and attend health appointments and to make car-free travel more appealing to tourists. This is currently being expanded by the provision of electric cycles and cars at some stations.

○ the Community Rail Partnerships play a crucial role in bringing communities together to support their local station and rail line and they are successful at attracting substantial external funding for their projects by initially providing small amounts of funds which are then added to by external bodies

The Chair of the Task and Finish Group would like to thank everyone who supported and gave evidence to this review, particularly Sam Wheelan, Rail Officer for his ongoing support, and would like to put forward the following recommendations for consideration.

The Task Group recommends that:

Recommendation 1

Cabinet be recommended to ask the Corporate Director – Environment and Community Services incorporate the following into the Council’s response to the consultation on the rail refranchising:

○ future franchises should not be offered on a steady state basis;

○ the successful company(ies) should be required to work closely with any Community Rail Partnerships within their area;

○ the new franchises be drawn up with a view to being able to respond to the future development of the nuclear industry and other developments on the west coast of Cumbria and to provide better services for the local community (including those attending health appointments, students and shoppers) and the increasing numbers of tourists who use the railways;

○ any new timetables for the Cumbrian Coastal Line should be drawn up following consideration of the work patterns of those employed by the nuclear industry;

○ Continued investment in railway stations be encouraged.

Recommendation 2

Cabinet be recommended to lobby at every opportunity for:

○ the expansion of electrification of the Lakes and Furness lines and ultimately also for the Cumbrian Coastal Line;

○ the extension of the Cumbrian Coastal Line timetable to incorporate Sunday and evening services recognising that even out with the developments on the Energy Coast there is a need for improved services for the local community;

○ the continuation and increase in services between Barrow and Manchester International Airport and Windermere and Manchester International Airport;

○ further investment in passing loops to enable more frequent services on the Cumbria Coastal Line in particular at St Bees.

Recommendation 3

Allerdale, Barrow, Copeland and South Lakeland Local Committees be requested to invite the Community Rail Partnership officers to talk to members about the work they carry out and the possibilities for improving the rail experience for passengers and the local communities which might be possible if the Local Committee is able to allocate small amounts of grant funding and this take part on a regular basis. Carlisle Local Committee might like to consider forming a similar relationship with the CRP for the Tyne Valley line and Eden Local Committee the Settle to Carlisle Line Partnership.

1 Background and Context

1.1 In setting its work programme for the forthcoming year the Communities and Place Scrutiny Advisory Board at its meeting in January 2014 agreed that given the importance to the economy of the county of the rail industry particularly in light of the future developments on the Energy Coast and the forthcoming refranchising arrangements this was an area that would merit a scrutiny review.

1.2 The timing of this review is opportune as the current franchise arrangements for both TransPennine Express and Northern are due to come to an end shortly and the Government are expected to issue their consultation on the arrangements for the refranchising in early June 2014. A major tenet of this review is therefore to examine the current arrangements and recommend to Cabinet areas which it is felt the Government should include in the new franchises.

1.3 As part of the review it was also agreed that the group would look at the current situation with other rail lines in the county and in this respect the Task Group held extremely interesting witness sessions with Community Rail Partnership officers.

1.4 Cumbria is the second largest county in England with a population of 500,000 spread across this large area making it the second less densely populated county in the Country. The distribution of the population across this large area with its hills, rivers and valleys brings its own issues in respect of transport connectivity for local people travelling for work, health appointments or pleasure. Added to this are a number of other factors such as:

● the industrial nature of the west coast;

● the likelihood of new nuclear developments coming to fruition;

● the need for easy access for employees, the general public, those needing to travel to health appointments and students;

● the increasing potential for freight movement;

● the opportunities presented by the tourism industry and the benefits to the environment that could arise from a greater number of visitors arriving in the county by rail.

1.5 The County Council recognises the importance of rail transport in its current Council Plan by stating that we will work to ensure that we retain and improve Cumbria’s rail services, infrastructure and connectivity, through active engagement in the national refranchising and investment programmes.

1.6 The rail network across Cumbria is extremely complex with a number of different rail companies offering different levels of services. The current rail network in Cumbria is shown on the map attached as an appendix to this report.

1.7 Refranchising is set to have a big impact on the county and will, in time, apply to all lines in Cumbria ie the West Coast Mainline, Cumbrian Coast line, Furness, Lakes, Tyne Valley and Settle-Carlisle Lines. Refranchising provides a major opportunity to secure improved services. Contracts will be let for 7-10 years

1.8 Membership of the Task Group was sought across all non-executive members of the Council and membership of the Task Group was subsequently agreed as being:

○ Geoff Cook ○ Keith Hitchen ○ Joe Holliday

○ Neil Hughes (Chair) ○ Eileen Weir ○ Mark Wilson

2 Evidence Gathered and Witness Interviews

2.1 The Task Group is keen to ensure that the findings of this review were based on robust information and evidence and as such agreed to undertake witness sessions with some of the existing franchise operating companies to assess their experience of the existing arrangements and to establish any areas of improvement they would suggest for the new franchising companies – which may or may not be the existing companies.

2.2 Witness interviews were held with TransPennine Express, Northern Rail Ltd. Members were also keen to hear about the potential developments in the nuclear industry on the west coast, the tourism opportunities in relation to rail and wished to hear about the work and aspirations of the Community Rail Companies. Accordingly the following witness sessions were held.

2.3 Sam Wheelan, Cumbria County Council Rail Officer

At the first meeting of the Task Group Sam Wheelan, Rail Officer gave a detailed presentation on the main issues facing the rail industry across the country and specifically the issues affecting Cumbria of which there are many. The main areas which impact on the county at the present time are:-

2.4 Refranchising of the TransPennine Express and Northern Rail networks

Refranchising is set to have a big impact on the county and will apply to all lines in Cumbria ie the West Coast Mainline, Cumbrian Coast, Furness, Lakes, Tyne Valley and Settle-Carlisle Lines. Refranchising will provide a major opportunity to secure improved services and contracts will be let for 7-10 years.

2.5 Decentralisation

In line with its aspirations for localism the Government is proposing to devolve more accountability and decision making related to local rail services to sub-national bodies, such as local authorities.

2.6 Role of Community Rail Partnerships

Three of the lines in Cumbria were designated by the DfT as Community Rail Partnerships and the County Council is a primary stakeholder in these partnerships. The purpose of a Community Rail Partnership is to bring together local authorities, rail users, railway companies and other stakeholders to encourage improvements to services, enhancements of stations and other activities

2.7 High Speed Rail

There has been recent consultation around extending the line into Birmingham (by around 2026) and to Manchester (by around 2031). There are no plans at the present time to extend the line to Carlisle although a report being published later this year will address this option. The County Council have responded to the consultation saying that the proposals are sought in principle provided they do not reduce services to London.

2.8 Cumbria Coast Rail Line Investment It is recognised that there is a need for investment in the Cumbrian Coastal Line which runs from Carlisle via Workington and Whitehaven to Barrow. The line is widely used by local communities for pleasure and commuting to work. The line is constrained by the single line sections of tack and gauge clearances which reduces capacity and the type of rolling stock able to use the line. There are also issues with

signalling which is carried out manually and is therefore expensive to provide and this reduces the hours and days of operation of services.

2.9 There are no Sunday services between Whitehaven and Barrow due to the costs of running services partly because of the signalling costs, and only a limited service between Whitehaven and Carlisle. This is not felt to be acceptable as the public still wants to be able to travel on a Sunday and companies such as Sellafield operate 7 days a week. It also affects the ability to market West Cumbria for the tourist economy. The introduction of improved signalling technology has recently been deferred to 2021 and members were concerned that this might not coincide with new developments at Sellafield and cause disruption for both staff and freight .

2.10 Station Improvements

There is anticipated to be a minimum standard in the franchise contracts potentially including new shelters and electronic timetabling advice. In terms of station access a number of bids have been made (through TransPennine Express and Network Rail) for Access for All DfT funding. These have been submitted for access improvements at Penrith, Arnside, Ulverston and Staveley.

2.11 TPE Rolling Stock

The new Class 350 rolling stock have recently been introduced on the Anglo Scottish TPE network. The Class 185s currently operate on the Lakes and Furness Line. There are concerns that these units may be transferred elsewhere in the railway network, and as such concern as to what these two lines would receive instead. A rolling stock strategy would be beneficial.

2.12 Kathryn O’Brien – Head of Franchise Development, TransPennine Express

TransPennine Express (TPE) is the current franchise operator of the transpennine network which runs passenger services between the major cities in Northern England as well as to the central belt of Scotland. It is a predominately leisure based business and provides connectivity with other rail services. Whilst its customer base is mostly leisure based there are some commuters and some lines are extremely busy at commuting times. The company is in its tenth year of operation; it has 11,000 employees and runs 300 services per day, using 70 trains and utilising 30 stations (carrying 26m passengers per year). In line with the rail industry as a whole, over the last few years the numbers of passengers has increased dramatically. This has been a consequence of the economic climate and the increasing cost of fuel for cars.

2.13 The franchise operates a hub model radiating from its base in Manchester. In this region TPE operates the Barrow to Manchester International Airport and Windermere to Oxenholme/Manchester International Airport service. The company have been able to shape the business in line with demand. TPE currently has the highest seat occupancy of UK train operators but this brings its own challenges with some lines being extremely busy both at peak and off peak times.

2.14 The current franchise was due to expire in March 2014, however, at the request of the DfT the company have agreed to extend the current franchise until early 2016 while the new franchise is being developed.

2.15 Kathryn advised that the roll out of electrification of lines is going forward with no final decisions taken as yet. There is a big issue in obtaining diesel rolling stock (carriages) as they are no longer being produced and the current stock is dated and it

is becoming more difficult to refurbish these old carriages to an acceptable standard for today’s customer. One advantage of more lines being electrified will be that more old diesel carriages will become available but the problem of refurbishment will be ongoing.

2.16 TPE feel that the current franchise works well as it permits flexibility and has allowed the company to reduce subsidies by a large amount. In conclusion Kathryn advised that TPE view the services they provide in Cumbria as central to the core of their network and will be looking forward to the opportunity to help shape the new franchise via the consultation and in putting forward a bid in due course.

2.17 Craig Harrop – Client and Stakeholder Manager West – Northern Rail Ltd

Northern Rail (Northern) is owned by Serco-Abellio (a joint venture each owning 50%). Serco is a UK public listed company providing outsourced public sector services internationally; Abellio is a subsidiary of the Dutch Government. It runs a mix of commuter rural and some longer-distance services around the north of England. The company had 5000 employees, runs 2500 trains per day, uses 460 stations and carries around 94m passengers per year.

2.18 Northern had won the previous franchise on a “steady-state” basis which meant that the Government did not predict there would be any great change in the number of services required or passengers carried. In the event there has been a huge increase in passenger numbers and this has placed considerable strains on the network and the availability of rolling stock. A franchise awarded on a steady-state basis allows for little or no investment – the company had been allocated only £250k to invest each year. Northern themselves had invested a lot more bringing in around £130m of inward investment including £30m from Northern shareholders and contributions from local authorities, government and third parties. The new franchises will not be offered on this basis in future a decision the Task Group supports. The services operated in Cumbria by Northern are the Newcastle to Carlisle, Leeds to Carlisle, Cumbrian Coastal land the Furness Lines.

2.19 The original Northern franchise was let on the 1 July 2004, this was awarded for six years and nine months, with a two-year extension subject to performance targets being achieved. In May 2010 the Department for Transport confirmed that Northern had met the performance targets, and the franchise was extended for two years until September 2013. In May 2012 the Department for Transport granted Northern a six- month extension until 31 March 2014. In March 2013 the Secretary of State for Transport announced the franchise would be further extended to 4 February 2016.

2.20 Major challenges facing the company include the ageing fleet – Northern inherited several pacer trains which have been criticised for their ride quality. There are also issues with overcrowding and infrastructure challenges partly due to the age of the track and issues caused by the weather . The company has worked hard to keep the rolling stock at an acceptable level by refurbishing carriages however there is only so much that can be done with such old stock.

2.21 The company value and work closely with Community Rail Partnerships of which they have 24 in their area as well as a number of station adopters and friends groups.

2.22 Improvements that they would like to move forward with if they win the new franchise include newer improved stations, more customer information screens, advanced tickets on more routes, environment initiatives including reducing energy consumption and ticketless travel options. Northern have been lobbying for a fairer share of funding across the country as the current arrangements are weighted

towards London and the surrounding area. They will also be pushing for greater electrification to match the situation in most of the rest of mainland Europe. There is a view in the rail industry that the issues they face are not well understood by the outside business world and Craig also commented that the company would welcome the opportunity to talk to the Local Enterprise Partnership for Cumbria about the particular problems they have to deal with.

2.23 Northern would also be keen to extend the days and hours of operation of the Cumbrian Coastal Line to include weekends and night services. Funding has been bid for a Sunday service on a trial basis over the summer months in 2015; it is hoped that the service will be well used during this trial period and then a bid can be made for a regular Sunday service.

2.24 Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs)

The Task Group met with Laurence Hilland, Community Rail Partnership Officer for the Cumbrian Coast Line and Jim Trotman, Community Rail Partnership Officer for the Furness and Lakes Lines.

2.25 Community Rail Partnerships were set up originally in an attempt to keep lines open and increase services. They provide a mechanism for involving local people and organisations working in partnership to improve their local railways. Community rail initiatives such as station enhancements and innovative promotional schemes can help get better value for money from the rail network. Initiatives that have been undertaken in Cumbria include helping to maintain station gardens and public areas, providing artwork from local students and artists to brighten up stations, local café facilities opening up on station platforms, working with local businesses such as a museum to increase the sustainability of both the station and the business. It is generally found that where a community becomes more involved in the “ownership” of their railway station little or no vandalism takes place.

2.26 The officers are employed by the County Council and the partnerships operate on very small budgets themselves but they have been very successful in attracting in funding to support the improvements of stations. It is estimated that across the UK network they are worth 27m to the rail industry.

2.27 As all the Community Rail Partnerships in Cumbria are on designated lines the DfT is required to consult with them before making any changes. The CRPs are also able to secure grants for improvements subject to match funding being provided by the partnership. In the past the CRPs have been extremely successful in securing funding from local communities and businesses against which they can secure match funding, however in these more difficult economic times this is becoming more difficult.

2.28 Challenges facing the CRPs in Cumbria include the lack of lifts and bridges at stations however this situation is now being addressed to a degree. By 2028 all stations are required to be DDA compliant and this is a big issue across the country. There is also a need to lobby for the electrification of the lines not least because of the dwindling supply of diesel carriages.

2.29 In relation to the re franchising programme the CRPs would like a requirement placed on the successful franchise operators that they must continue to work closely with the partnerships and they would like to be able to have open dialogues which would allow them to put discuss and seek support for their aspirations for the lines.

2.30 The Cumbrian Coast Line is one of only 3 in the country that do not have Sunday services and the CRP has been looking at resolving this. It is hoped that the trial Sunday service which would run over the summer months of 2015 (subject to funding

being confirmed) will be well used and this trial could then form the basis of a bid for a regular Sunday service which might come on line in 2/3 years. There are only currently 3 services per day which stop at Sellafield station and the CRPs would like to see this extended – when the last franchise was awarded no account was taken of any future increase in demand from the nuclear industry on the west coast and it is hoped that the new franchise will be much more flexible in this respect.

2.31 Members were extremely impressed with the welcome improvements that the CRPs are managing to bring about on their lines and considered if there was any other way in which the county council could help these community bodies to do more. The ability of the CRPs to gather some initial seedcorn funding is crucial to them being able to attract match funding elsewhere and whilst some local committees have a good relationship with their CRP this might not always be the case and it was felt that this relationship should be strengthened.

2.32 Keith Little – Cabinet member for Transport

Keith spoke to the Task Group from his perspective as Cabinet member for transport. He was not yet aware of what the consultation on the refranchising would say however it was to be hoped that the new arrangements would allow for more investment in rail services. Once the consultation document is received he is confident that together with the views of this task group the Council will have a wealth of knowledge on which to draw in order to respond. Keith sees Carlisle railway station as a major key to the continued development and provision of rail services in Cumbria.

2.33 The County Council also works, via a tripartite arrangement, with Carlisle City Council and SWESTRANS (south west of Scotland transport partnership) to lobby for continued investment for rail in Cumbria and south west Scotland and connections to the south of England.

2.34 There are several rail pinch points on the single track lines in the county and Keith is hopeful that the Council will be able to bid for funding to improve these which will in turn lead to more frequent and possibly faster services. The group identified St Bees as one such pinch point.

2.35 Andrew Harper – Transport and Infrastructure Manager – Cumbria County Council – the Local Enterprise Partnership and transport and the nuclear dimension

Andrew Harper attended two sessions of the Task Group to provide members with information on the Local Enterprise Partnership and transport and the nuclear dimension.

2.36 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and transport

The Strategic Economic Plan (Growth Strategy) for Cumbria which has been published by the LEP places a high priority on nuclear and energy excellence in the county. The need for infrastructure improvements to support the future development of the nuclear industry is seen very much as a priority.

2.37 The Growth Strategy also has clear links to rail travel on both the economy and visitor economy sides covering all railway lines and connectivity within and outside the county.

2.38 A number of rail transport schemes have been identified in the plan to lever in funding as it becomes available. The aim is to have schemes ready “on the shelf” which can be put forward if any appropriate funding becomes available. The LEP is

very mindful of the potential of using the forthcoming potential developments in the nuclear industry to lever in funding. The LEP feels that there is a huge potential for more freight movements to and from the nuclear industries in west Cumbria and work is ongoing with the rail freight operator to try and extend these services. The County Council acts as the main transport adviser to the LEP.

2.39 In preparation for the anticipated development on the west coast a study has been carried out that shows there is capacity on the line and this can be increased further by additional staffing of the signal boxes pending the rollout of the phasing out of manual signalling and the provision of more passing loops such as at St Bees. Cumbria is due to come on line in this project in 2021 although the LEP is lobbying to bring this on line earlier, particularly as a result of recently announced developments. The eventual aim would be to allow a 7 day 24 hours service and this would increase capacity immensely.

2.40 The nuclear dimension

Aside from the freight issue there are 10k employee movements per day associated with the nuclear industry on the west coast of Cumbria. The majority of these journeys are undertaken by car but given the proximity of the Cumbrian Coastal Line there is a huge untapped potential to get more employees using the trains. Issues that currently mitigate against this include the lack of trains stopping at Sellafield station, the small number and timetabling of services overall, the lack of 24 hour and 7 day a week services.

2.41 Some of these problems arise because the coastal line is single track in many places and relies on trains waiting in passing loops to wait for oncoming services to pass. There are also infrastructure problems notably along the Workington to Whitehaven section which runs between cliffs and the coastline and on which trains are restricted to 10mph. However, if some of these issues could be resolved this would ease traffic congestion in the Sellafield area considerably. Sellafield are currently working on moving 1000 staff off site to a new office complex in Whitehaven but this will bring traffic issues for the town.

2.42 Future developments in the nuclear industry include the new build on which work is to commence in 2018 when the number of construction staff estimated to be on site is around 6000 each day. The planned low level waste repository at Drigg has a 70 year planning application and work is likely to begin soon bringing with it huge freight and aggregate transportation implications. There will also be construction requirements around the decommissioning arrangements at Sellafield.

2.43 The County Council and Copeland Borough Council are working closely with the nuclear business’s to develop a movement plan to align transport needs with their business needs and it is accepted that rail will be a major player in the future transport arrangements.

3 Findings and Recommendations

3.1 During the course of this review the Task Group have found that in the current financial climate rail travel is becoming increasingly popular as a method of transportation. Today’s passengers expect a certain level of comfort on their journey and the rail companies are having to provide better facilities and investment in rail. In Cumbria as in other areas there is a huge untapped potential for using the railways for more freight movements.

3.2 The DfT will shortly be consulting with stakeholders on what they feel should be included in the new franchises which will become available over the next few years and it is vital that the county council responds to the consultation in such a way as to source improvements to rail services, infrastructure and rolling stock.

3.3 It is planned to roll out electrification to many more rail lines across the country but the likelihood is that this will not affect the branch lines in Cumbria for some time and in the meantime the ageing rolling stock will be a huge issue.

3.4 There is a continued need for improvements to rail stations to improve the customer experience and thereby encourage more people to use the train.

3.5 All branch lines in Cumbria have a capacity for increased levels of service.

Accordingly the Task Group makes the following recommendations:

Recommendation 1

Cabinet be asked to recommend the Corporate Director – Environment and Community Services to incorporate the following into the Council’s response to the consultation on the rail refranchising:

○ future franchises should not be offered on a steady state basis;

Rationale: The Task Group found that the original Northern franchise was let on this basis which meant that very little increase in capacity was expected and very little investment was allowed for. At the time the Government did not predict that there would be year on year increases in rail passengers and increases in rail freight requirements. To allow for increases in usage future franchises should not be let on this basis.

○ the successful company(ies) should be required to work closely with any Community Rail Partnerships within their area;

Rationale: although it is likely that the DfT will make this a requirement on the new franchisers it is felt that the County Council should be explicit in recommending the strengthening and formalising the relationship.

Rationale: it is vital that the new franchises are drawn up to allow sufficient flexibility for the successful companies to be able to adapt the service they provide to major changes in the economy and employment needs of the area. The Task Group also recognised that the general public are using rail travel more, partly in response to the rise in fuel costs for cars. In addition with the proposals across Health to provide more regional facilities there is an increasing need for patients to make longer journeys for treatment. More students are also using the railways to access school, college and university. Tourists are also using the railways in greater numbers and this is to be encouraged for the benefits to the environment that it brings.

○ Any new timetables for the Cumbrian Coastal Line should be drawn up following consideration of the work patterns of those employed by the nuclear industry;

Rationale: The previous franchises did not allow for this discretion in service provision and this has meant that the timetabling and services on the Cumbrian Coastal line have remained at their historical levels and times.

○ Continued investment in railway stations be encouraged.

Rationale: The Task Group found that more members of the public will use railway stations that are more attractive, safer and provide disabled access and therefore the future franchises should encourage the future development of stations.

Recommendation 2

Cabinet be recommended to lobby at every opportunity for:

○ the expansion of electrification of the Lakes and Furness lines and ultimately also for the Cumbrian Coastal Line;

○ the continuation and increase in services between Barrow and Manchester International Airport and Windermere and Manchester International Airport;

○ further investment in passing loops to enable more frequent services on the Cumbria Coastal Line in particular at St Bees.

Rationale: the County Council, the LEP and all other Cumbrian partners should continue to work together to lobby for improved rail provision within Cumbria and for connections to other areas.

Recommendation 3

Rationale: The Task Group feel that all of the Local Committees who have a Community Rail Partnership within their area should be encouraged to work more closely with the Partnerships. The Partnerships are working successfully to bring in match funding from many different sources to help in the development of railway stations in various ways such as making station platforms more attractive for rail passengers. This will encourage both local people and visitors to make train journeys. By working closely with local community groups and encouraging them to take a pride in the local environment; in some instances it has been possible to promote the work of local businesses from making local museums more sustainable to providing business opportunities for local cafes.