- MORECAMBE COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP

LINE (ACTION) PLAN 2019 onwards

Last Updated 01.08.19 Adopted by LMCRP 10.07.19 Approved by ACoRP/DfT xx.xx.19

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/ 1 Action Plan initiatives 2019 TO 2024

1. The LMCRP has identified in its Terms of Reference, Route Prospectus and Memorandum of Association a key set of actions which are to be carried out over a five year period starting in 2019 and continuing to 2024, and with reference to the new Community Rail Development Stratgey (October 2018).

2. Progress in implementing the Action Plan is reviewed at Management Group meetings and the Plan is updated frequently and ratified and re-issued annually at the AGM of the LMCRP held in July each year.

3. This Plan covers the key activities the Partnership intends to carry out in 2019, subject to funding/grant application and continued employment of the CRP Officers and CRD Officer part time.

4. The CRPOs to produce a quarterly report covering progress with action plan and new initiatives with supporting comments from the CRDO.

5. The Plan takes fully into consideration the new Community Rail Development Strategy's four key pillars:

1. Providing a voice for the community

2. Promoting sustainable, healthy and accessible travel

3. Bringing communities together and supporting diversity and inclusion

4. Supporting social and economic development

New and amended items in the action plan are shown in purple.

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/2 2019 Onwards Action Plan

Activity Task Link to Community Rail Output/Measure Development Strategy pillars and LMCRP Terms of Reference

AP1 • To undertake a review of local CRDS • Produce an annual report of community rail activities. progress. 1 & 4 Community Rail Development • Work actively with Rail North • Meet regularly with Arriva Rail North Champion – GT Ltd. and other TOC stakeholders to help ensure best development of the • Work actively with Cross Country Bentham Line. Trains • Meet with Arriva Rail North, Settle • Work with train operators to secure an Carlisle Dev Co & local authorities improved service for the line including to discuss practical service the local service between Lancaster & improvements and other joint Morecambe benefits. • Work with ACoRP at national level • Attend at least 2 ACoRP/DfT events • Work with local authorities at all levels in 2019/20 • Maintain and develop relationships • Engage with CrossCountry Trains, with other adjoining mainline TOCS West Coast, London • Develop ideas with other local CRPs North Eastern Railway & TransPennine Express. • Continue to encourage the • involvement of stakeholders Work closely with Community Rail Lancashire & Community Rail • Encourage positive developments in Cumbria. Community Rail at all levels. • Engage with two new stakeholders along the line during 2019/20 and hold a major stakeholder event following accreditation • Contribute to major rail and transport consultations with reference to the Bentham Line.

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/3 AP2 • To secure core funding for the CRDS • Core funding secured. continuity of the Community Rail Funding A s r e f e r e n c e d i n Partnership Officer & Community • At least 3 bids made to funding sources. Accreditation requirements Champion DA Rail Development Officer posts. documentation • Develop one new revenue sources • To develop funding bids to support during the year possibly a heritage or this action plan tourism source • To investigate diverse funding • Work with Arriva Rail North, other train sources/revenue. operators & local councils to continue funding.

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/4 AP3 • Short term CRDS • During 2019 keep connections at Carnforth/Lancaster & other interchange • Promotion of improved timetable on 1, 2, 3 & 4 Timetable Developments points under review. Bentham Line ToR Champion - GT & RI • Meet with Arriva Rail North, Settle • Investigate access to other areas To improve rail services Carlisle Dev Co & local authorities to through timetable changes discuss practical service improvements • Review operation and usage of during new Northern franchise improved timetable • During 2019 research and promote new • Medium term destinations based on timetable • Investigate opportunities to improve changes service to meet customer needs • Stay attuned to developments in • Take into consideration local council regional, local and neighbourhood plans. planning when developing • Undertake further discussions with timetables Northern to improve the December 2019 • Further investigate timetable timetable to at least the standard laid out possibilities to meet the changing in the train service requirement. needs of the local communities • The above to include the morning commuting service to Lancaster and Morecambe, through services to Morecambe and connectional timings at Lancaster for Morecambe. • Utilise the services of a train planner at Arriva Rail North when appropriate to develop timetable improvements, as indicated in the franchise documents

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/5 AP4 • Short term CRDS • Record and submit fares anomalies. • Identify fares anomalies 1 & 4 • Work with Arriva Rail North to Fares improve benefits to Bentham Line Champion - GT & RI • Improve Dales Railcard availability users of Dales Railcard. • Monitor the use of, and further • Hold two meetings with Arriva Rail develop, advance fares on the line North fares setters each year • Investigate possibility of line specific • Utilise passenger flow data to rover/ranger tickets monitor new fares, fare changes and • Medium term implementation • Investigate joint fares with stations • Continue to offer suggestions for on Settle-Carlisle Line new fare initiatives and travel offers, • Investigate through ticketing to including integrated ticketing adjoining attractions and local bus services

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/6 AP5 • To support station partnerships and CRDS • To attend at least one meeting of each help develop projects based on their station partnership during 2019. Station Developments 2, 3 & 4 station and community • To assist in the creation of two new Champion – GT & JK ToR • Work with Arriva Rail North to further station partnerships with a community develop station partnerships To provide improved station emphasis during 2019/20 facilities, improved • Investigate scope for community • Seek to complete the Bentham Line integration and to projects, including refurbishing the Cohesion project encourage community Bentham station entrance/car park participation at stations & • Develop at least 2 art projects along the • To develop station facilities along community art initiatives line in 2019/20 with local schools and the line colleges. • Work with Arriva Rail North on their • To seek grants & sponsorship towards Station Improvement Fund improvements at designated stations implementation along the line. • To investigate possibilities to make • Focus on the Clapham cohesion project the operation of the facilities at during 2019/20 Bentham station ‘greener’ • To investigate the the possibilities for thorough refurbishment of the heritage shelters along the Bentham Line • To work with Northern, and FOBS on the introduction of photovoltaic cells to power the whole of Bentham station.

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/7 AP6 • To implement marketing activities CRDS • Develop a Marketing Action Sheet along the line in partnership with during 2019/20 Marketing 2 & 4 Arriva Rail North & with other TOCs • Develop marketing plan for the Champions – GN & CH ToR • Promote tourism along the line with introduction of the fully developed local tourism organisations and Sustainable development timetable 2019 other service providers and community involvement • Continue to support guided walks • Continue to develop & publicise programmes in partnership with the website and other social media for Friends of DalesRail and FoSCL marketing and communications • Extend the Rail to Trail scheme purposes. • Regularly liaise with tourism • Monitor use and inters=action with organisations along the line in 2019 website and social media • During 2019/20 hold a workshop for tourism & heritage organisations • Develop heritage and country days out, shopping and ‘Rail and Stay’ promotions along the route. • Continue to work with the Forest of Bowland to further promote the station gateways • Build on initial engagements with Yorkshire Dales National Park and Millennium Trust to look at joint tourism and educational developments • Introduce measures to monitor interaction with website and social media to assist in development of the same. • Develop initiatives with the Canal and Rivers Trust, for the Lancaster and Leeds- Canals, in relation to the Rail to Trail and education programmes

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/8 AP7 • Develop educational packages in CRDS • Work with secondary school pupils & partnership with schools and college students to develop the School and Community 1, 2, 3 & 4 colleges Bentham Line Art project (see AP5), Links based around the theme ‘Local • Develop links with local community Champion – BH, CH & LB Community’. groups and organisations. • Improve the educational offer from the • Further develop Bentham station LMCRP to primary schools focusing on building as venue for educational rail safety, local and rail history and visits artwork • Further develop links with Arriva Rail • Work with a wider and diverse range of North’s Year-in-Industry students primary schools along the line to assist and Engineering apprentices in delivering the curriculum on community rail themes. • Continue to monitor success of activity pack. • To get 3 further community organisations actively involved in the LMCRP by the end of 2019/20. • Continue to work with County, District and Parish Councils along the line • Further develop an ‘Introduction to Community Rail’ programme for students and apprentices based on the Bentham Line • Involve students and apprentices in community work and projects on the Bentham Line and beyond, including the continuation of the ‘Sheep on the Line’ project

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/9 AP8 • To promote the CRP and Bentham CRDS • Issue at least one press release per Line through press, radio & month to include both local, national Press & Publicity 3 & 4 television, and through the website press and rail media. Champion – RT & CH and other social media. ToR • Develop a weekly based social media Sustainable development plan with a view to increasing posts to a and community daily level. involvement • Develop the CRP's profile and use social media to promote the Bentham Line and associated activities • Ensure all releases are shared with Arrival Rail North to enable further promotion of the line • Ensure on-going coverage of the Dementia Project and other major projects across all media platforms • Promote the accreditation of the LMCRP through all media channels • Promote the ‘Rail to Trail’ programme with reference to new national ’10,000 steps’ initiative and other health benefits

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/ 10 AP9 • To engage with Arriva Rail North, CRDS • To raise awareness and understanding other TOCs, the wider railway of dementia with Bentham Line staff and Dementia and Community 2, 3 & 4 community and councils in working volunteers Rail to improve the rail experiences of ToR • Through careful audit of stations, Champion – GT, RT & CH those with hidden disabilities and To provide improved station develop recommendations to make the travelling public in general facilities, improved stations dementia friendly • Carry out the above by focusing on integration and to • To create and encourage dementia the lives and experiences of those encourage community friendly excursions (such as dementia with dementia participation at stations friendly walks) • To ensure that the project is properly Sustainable development • To develop ways of supporting resourced in both funds and human and community passengers travelling with dementia and resources involvement their carers, including digital means • To produce a comprehensive To improve rail services • To offer a project briefing and/or package of materials to support the awareness sessions to interested dissemination of the project and parties encourage others to embrace inclusivity • To create a booklet to tell the story of the project to date. • To prepare two toolkits, one for briefing TOCs on how to improve their inclusivity to encompass hidden disabilities and one for CRPs on how to support and enhance the journeys of those travelling with hidden disabilities • To work with Pioneer Projects in Bentham to create further artwork for stations with their clients living with dementia and their carers. • To continue to work with NYCC, CDC and other agencies on Better Communities and dementia initiatives.

llmcrp/actionplan/gt/sc.01.08.19/11 AP10 • To secure ‘accreditation’ for the CRDS • to compile and present all necessary LMCRP during October 2019 paperwork for the accreditation process Achieving Accreditation of A s r e f e r e n c e d i n to ACoRP LMCRP Accreditation requirements • To subsequently promote the documentation Champion - LMCRP Officers - meaning of accreditation for the • To facilitate the accreditation meeting on GT, SC, DA, CH & BH LMCRP 9th October 2019 • To use accreditation to benefit the • To develop a post accreditation LMCRP promotion of the LMCRP through all • To maintain accreditation media channels requirements on an annual basis

Key:

GT Gerald Townson GN Graham North BH Brian Haworth DA David Alder LB Linda Brockbank SC Simon Clarke RI Richard Isaac RT Rod Tickner CH Catherine Huddleston JK John Kitching

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