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Community Rail Network

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About us

Community Rail Network is dedicated to supporting community-based groups and partnerships that connect their community with their railway and deliver social benefit.

Community rail is all about ensuring communities get the most from their railways. Working alongside local, regional and national partners, community rail partnerships and groups around the country aim to play an important role in social inclusion, community wellbeing and economic development, and promote rail as a key part of sustainable, healthy travel.

There are over 75 community rail partnerships around Britain, working along railway routes to connect communities with the railway, train operator and other partners. They deliver a range of activities to engage and benefit local people and support the development of the railway. You can see where Britain’s community railway lines are, region by region, and their main attractions, on our Scenic Rail Britain site.

More than 1,200 smaller community rail groups, such as station friends or adoption groups, or social enterprises, work locally, often involving volunteers in ensuring the station is a welcoming and productive hub for the community.

Find your nearest community rail partnership and station group on our interactive map.

Community Rail Network provides support, advice and information to the community rail movement through membership services and events. We represent and advocate for community rail, sharing good practice and connecting community rail partnerships and groups together, while working with government, the rail industry, and the wider voluntary and community sector to champion community rail.

Community Rail Network’s vision is a flourishing community rail movement connecting people and their railways, contributing to inclusive, empowered, sustainable and healthy communities. Read our annual report to see how we support our members and raise the profile of community rail.

If you share our passion for community rail, sustainable travel, and making a difference to communities, click here to find out how you can get involved. You can also email info@communityrail.org.uk.

Increasing rail use

Community rail promotes understanding, confidence and positivity around rail and removes barriers to travel, and most community rail partnerships have achieved success in helping to attract passengers.

Economic value

Community rail is evidenced to deliver significant economic value more than covering the investment put in. Community rail partnerships and station friends are ‘low-cost, high-value’, with partnerships paying for themselves. Volunteer activity is calculated to be worth £33.2m annual

Community engagement

The way community rail has connected railways with local people is a great success story. Volunteering is a key element, carrying benefit to the railways, passengers, local people, and volunteers.

Regeneration and development

Community rail can be a catalyst for bringing partners together to work towards physical, economic and social regeneration. This includes a growing number of community station projects where redundant or dilapidated stations buildings have been transformed into attractive gateways and hubs for the benefit of the community.

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