Train Times New life for local lines News, views and features from the world of Community Rail No.61 Summer 2011 Sussex CRP Revealed ... Taking a closer look at Community Rail Down South In this issue: Regional Round-Up Network Rail’s community schemes Go-Ahead’s Community Rail Partnerships This issue of Train Times has been kindly sponsored by: In this issue… Hello and Welcome... Page 2 Hello and Welcome The Big Society is a phrase we’re Page 3 Sponsor’s Spotlight rapidly getting used to and it Pages 4/6 Regional Round-Up seems that government and others are beginning to recognise that Page 7 Network Rail’s Community schemes Community Rail is the Big Society! Pages 8/9 Go-Ahead and Community Rail Nothing new for us though - we’ve Page 10 Station Adoption Seminar known it for years and what better Page 11 Community Rail Awards and Festival way to highlight that than by Pages 12/13 Partnership Profile - Sussex taking a look at our heroic band of Page 14 Arrivals and Departures station volunteers. Our report on the Value of Community Rail Page 15 Community Rail Partnerships Volunteers estimated that around Page 16 Community Rail Diary 4,000 people were offering help on a voluntary basis, bring- ing an incredible £27m added value to the railway industry. This is no small change and I’m always humbled by the fantastic results achieved by this largely unsung group of Principal Funders and individuals who care enough about their local stations to put in this level of commitment. Sponsors Merseytravel has always been a great supporter of the Community Rail concept and definitely puts its money Association of Train Operating Companies where its mouth is as far as its local stations are concerned. DfT Rail It was also kind enough to support our recent conference on Network Rail station adoption held in Liverpool. Not only did delegates Welsh Government have an opportunity to share best practice and meet other adoptees, but were treated to a splendid pre-event tour around the city – now that’s real generosity! As if that wasn’t enough, we have our Annual Commu- Corporate Sponsors nity Rail Awards in September, once again celebrating all Abellio that is good in Community Rail. Here at ACoRP, we felt it Angel Trains Ltd was about time we invited you to our home patch, so this year’s event will be held in Sheffield’s splendid City Hall. East Coast Main Line Co The awards are always the highlight of my year, as it gives First TransPennine Express me a chance to meet and congratulate all the people who Grand Central Railway Company Limited really make Community Rail happen – and that includes Kirklees Metropolitan District Council ACoRP’s fantastic staff and many other supporters from Merseytravel within government and the rail industry. I’ve always felt that Northern Rail being involved with ACoRP makes me part of a wonderfully diverse ‘family’ and, although I know times are hard, I really Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) hope you’ll try and come to this event, because, like a big * We welcome additional corporate sponsorship from the family, it’s the one time we can all be together. railway industry. Please contact our General Manager Neil The McNulty report has been kind to us too and I’m Buxton if you are interested in sponsoring us. gratified to see that there’s a real will to recognise that Community Rail is a different beast and that opportunities could exist to operate and maintain local railways in a Contributors different, more cost-effective way. At the recent National Rail Conference, the report’s author, Sir Roy McNulty, This edition of Train Times was edited by Nigel Barber suggested that the industry needed to identify where rail ([email protected]) and designed by Philip Jenkinson subsidy was going and what it was buying. As far as Com- ([email protected]). munity Rail is concerned, I think we’ve done that already Special thanks go to Lucy Tennyson and all of our contributors with our Value of CRPs study and there certainly seems to for their ongoing hard work and support. be an acceptance that elements of the rail subsidy are buying the survival and well-being of local and rural communities - not just a transport resource. ‘In which case’ I Front cover picture – Front cover picture – A Southern service on the Arun asked a senior rail figure, ‘shouldn’t other government depart- Valley line (Gatwick -Chichester) with Arundel Castle in the ments, like DfBIS, DfE and DfH be supporting these rail background. services too?’ ‘Hmm, interesting…’ came the thoughtful reply! The times may be a-changing - see you in Sheffield! 2 Sponsor’s Spotlight Why Community Rail matters David Brown – Group Chief Executive of this issue’s sponsor, the Go-Ahead Group. I am delighted that Go-Ahead is sponsoring this edition of Train Times. Businesses have a huge respon- sibility to take an active role in the communities that they serve. Strong businesses are the ones that take the time to understand and engage with passengers. As a group we already do a great deal, but it is some- thing we plan to grow and develop in the years ahead. As such, I welcome the opportunity to outline some of the Community Rail activity Go-Ahead’s three UK based train companies are involved in. Southern, Southeastern and London Midland carry over one million passengers a day. Many of our passengers are daily commuters and our 10,000 staff work hard to ensure people get to where they need to be. But our networks are also very diverse and in- clude many rural routes. These routes are vital to the communities they serve and a number of Community CRP on Southern. The Abbey Line has seen the Rail Partnerships (CRPs) have therefore thrived. installation of new shelters, signage and information Our philosophy of operating our businesses with systems and Marston Vale has experienced consistent a strong local and community focus fits well with passenger volume growth over the last year, as a result ACoRP’s desire to improve local railways, deliver of focused marketing. better station facilities and services and integrate rail In Kent, passenger numbers have increased by with other forms of transport. We share the same 25% in the last five years due to concerted efforts to goals and concerns. encourage local residents to use the Medway Valley Each of our train operating companies has well service. CRP officers actively seek opportunities to established partnerships – the Abbey Line and speak to local councils and forums to promote station Marston Vale at London Midland; SwaleRail and the adoption. Southern launched its new Station Partner- Medway Valley Line at Southeastern and the Sussex ship Scheme with the Sussex CRP at the start of its new franchise in 2009, which has proved a huge success. For example, at Plumpton station a new partnership was established in June 2010 and has since become a pivotal part of the station community, with 20 active volunteers who have cleared the station environment of litter. Many of our CRPs are award winning, regularly featuring on the roll of honour at ACoRP’s annual Community Rail Awards. Staff in each of our busi- nesses do excellent work liaising with enthusiastic and dedicated CRP volunteers and local authority representatives. They all work in partnership at a local level to develop and deliver a range of schemes which benefit passengers and communities and increase ridership. These strong relationships are key to the success of our CRPs. I very much look forward to seeing the continuation of these partnerships and fruitful relationships. Passengers exploring the Abbey Line, care of London Midland... 3 Regional Round-Up What’s going on in your neck of the woods . New report could help transform local lines Medway, Maritime and Derwent Valley ACoRP has welcomed the McNulty report into the celebrate passenger increases future of the UK’s railways, which it says could act as a The Community Rail movement is celebrating success catalyst to transform the way local rail routes are run. on the Medway, Maritime and Derwent Valley routes, all Titled ‘Realising the Potential of GB Rail’ and of which have seen increases in passenger numbers. published in May, the report rules out rail closures but On the Truro-Falmouth Maritime Line, nearly one highlights the levels of support going into regional million journeys have been made by passengers in the franchises, which are higher than for other parts of the two years since the train service was doubled with the railway. The proposed changes for local and rural rail- opening of a passing loop at Penryn station. This is ways include: almost two thirds more than the 579,081 journeys made z Piloting more differentiated approaches for both in the previous two years. infrastructure and operations, which can main- Richard Burningham, Manager of the Devon & tain safety but which can reduce the costs of less Cornwall Rail Partnership, commented: “It is fabulous to intensively used networks; see the success of the improved service on the Maritime z Benchmarking routes with different characteris- Line. Local people have responded in big numbers to the tics to develop these principles; doubling of the train service which, among many other z A trade-off between flexibility in the use of benefits, is helping take cars off the busy roads.” rolling stock and the ability to provide bespoke On the Medway Valley Line, which runs between low-cost solutions that involve a different Strood and Paddock Wood via Maidstone West, passen- approach; ger numbers rose by 7.5% during 2010/11, with a 25% z A greater degree of local decision-making by increase since the CRP’s formation in 2006.