Category: Devon

Dawlish station gets green revamp thanks to local volunteers and TV gardening expert

Dawlish station has received a green makeover prior to its re-opening thanks to TV gardener Toby Buckland and the Friends of Dawlish Station.

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Mr Buckland said: “As a Dawlish man born and bred I was horrified by the damage to the station but it wasn’t until I saw it for myself and spoke to the station manager that I realised that I could do something to help.

“It’s been great to be part of helping the station to bounce back greener than ever.”

Eight volunteers from the group planted cordylines, lavenders, pansies, violets, primroses and other species in 10 new planters installed on the platforms. The gardening day was organised as part of Citizens’ Rail, an EU project led by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership which aims to get more people involved at stations on the Riviera Line between Exeter and Torbay.

The plants were donated by Dawlish-based horticulturalist Mr Buckland from his nursery and plant centre at nearby Powderham Castle, which on 2nd and 3rd May hosts a major new garden festival with award-winning horticultural exhibitors, live music, food stalls and family entertainment. Staff from Network Rail’s “orange army” also helped with the planting day – shifting heavy bags of compost.

Val Mawhood of The Friends of Dawlish Station said: “It’s so good to see our station being brought back to life with new flower-filled planters in place. We are looking forward to a bright and cheerful year ahead and consigning last winter to history.”

First Great Western Dawlish Station Manager Ian Mundy said: “We are committed to supporting the communities we serve. This project shows how much can be achieved when the railway, volunteers and local businesses work together to improve the station environment for all. It’s a fantastic way to welcome passengers back to the railway.”

More information about the garden festival – including how to get there by train via Starcross station – can be found at www.tobygardenfest.co.uk or by calling 01626 891133.

Want to get involved?

The Friends of Dawlish Station are keen to recruit new members. More information is available from Celia Minoughan, Citizens’ Rail Riviera Line Officer at the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, on 01752 584777, at celia@citizensrail.org or on our Devon page.

Local partners in Citizens’ Rail – which is 50% funded by the EU’s Interreg IVB programme – include Devon County Council, Torbay Council, First Great Western, Plymouth University and the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

Photos courtesy of First Great Western.

2014/03/27
Dutch tulips brighten up Torquay station

A leading community gardening group has continued its transformation of Torquay station on the Riviera Line, planting tulips supplied by Citizens’ Rail’s Dutch partner, Parkstad Limburg.

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The First Great Western Station Adoption project gives people with learning disabilities the opportunity to learn new skills and to work towards a nationally recognised qualification. The group’s weekly gardening work at Torquay station (showcased in the video below) has been shortlisted in the Best Social Enterprise and Community Impact category at the forthcoming 2014 Herald Express Business Awards. Learner David Maltby said of the project: “I love doing it, it’s so brilliant.”

The work on the station rockery has been supported by funding from Citizens’ Rail, the EU project to develop local and regional railways including the line between Torbay and Exeter.

Now the spirit of international cooperation has seen the group planting Dutch tulips donated on a recent visit by Paul Alzer from Citizens’ Rail’s Dutch partner Parkstad Limburg, a region near the southern border with Germany and Belgium.

Paul Alzer said: “Citizens’ Rail is about sharing ideas and putting people at the heart of their local and regional railways. It’s nice that our small Dutch tulip bulbs are growing in such a great initiative abroad.”

Celia Minoughan, Citizens’ Rail Riviera Line Officer for the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, said: “The group were delighted with the bulbs, and it was great to hear their plans to expand the project and bring more colour to all of Torbay’s stations in future.”

Nicky Church, ROC Personalisation Manager commented: “The people who we support have devoted their time, enthusiasm and sheer hard work into this project and are doing so with a view to gaining the necessary skills and experience to get a job.”

Local partners in Citizens’ Rail – which is 50% funded by the EU’s Interreg IVB programme – include Devon County Council, Torbay Council, First Great Western, Plymouth University and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] Find out more about ROC’s work across the UK to help as many people as possible who have learning or similar disabilities to be who they want to be. Visit the ROC website.

2014/03/11
Dawlish line to re-open 4th April

Great news for the Riviera Line – Network Rail have announced that the storm-damaged section of line at Dawlish is planned to re-open on Friday 4th April, two weeks ahead of schedule.

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Here’s a short video showing how Network Rail has been working around the clock to make the repairs – watch for the second storm arriving at 26 seconds:

[icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] Find out about upcoming improvements to stations on the line, a big marketing campaign to encourage people to try the train, volunteering opportunities and more as part of our Riviera Line project.

2014/03/06
New Riviera Line officer to help railway to bounce back

A dedicated Riviera Line officer has been appointed as part of Citizens’ Rail to help the recovery of the storm-struck route between Exeter, Dawlish and Paignton.

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Over the next eighteen months Celia Minoughan, from Totnes, will be working with local groups to encourage more people to try the train, and to get residents involved in their stations.

Citizens’ Rail’s work in the local area – which was hit by major storm damage in February – will also include a major marketing campaign for the line, and improvements to facilities at several stations. The project also helped to provide the more frequent Newton Abbot to Paignton service launched in December that will resume once the damaged Dawlish station re-opens.

Celia – pictured above with First Great Western station manager Ian Mundy – said: “From my first day in the job it’s been fantastic to see people’s determination to bounce back from the recent disruption. Our aim is for the line to come back stronger than ever, and we’ll soon be announcing the date of our first community forum for the line, where people can have their say on how they’d like to see their train services develop.”

If you have ideas for improvements at local stations, or would be interested in volunteering, visit our Devon page, contact Celia on 01752 584777 or email celia@citizensrail.org.

Local partners in the Citizens’ Rail project – which is 50% funded by the EU’s INTERREG IVB programme – include Devon County Council, Torbay Council, First Great Western, Plymouth University and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] What improvements do you think are needed on stations between Exeter and Paignton? Let us know in the comments.

2014/03/03
Photos: Partner meeting in Devon

Our latest transnational partner meeting took place in Devon this week. It included site visits to a thriving Community Station in Crediton, as well as several stations on the Riviera Line (Exeter to Paignton). Here is a snapshot in pictures…

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Mark Langdon from Network Rail shares his ideas in one of our interactive workshop sessions. Topics discussed by our partners from the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands included our upcoming “how to” manual on the Citizens’ Rail approach, methods of surveying rail users and non-users, and updates from each of our local projects.

At Crediton station (on the Tarka Line between Exeter and Barnstaple), our partners heard from The Friends of Crediton Station and the owner of the station’s tea rooms, who explained how community involvement can transform the appearance of a station, reduce vandalism and sustain a successful local business. The use of the old station house as the tea rooms is especially relevant for our work looking at how to revive disused station buildings in rural areas of Pays de la Loire.

On our site visits to stations on the Riviera Line, we were joined by representatives from First Great Western, Devon County Council and Torbay Council, who discussed local aspirations and challenges with the visiting partners.

Our visit to Torre station coincided with the busy end-of-school rush. The station will be one of the targets of our station improvement programme – more news to follow soon.

At Dawlish our partners got a glimpse of the serious damage sustained in recent storms which means this crucial section of the main line into Cornwall continues to be closed (read the latest on the Network Rail website). The smaller photos show a bus being used as a temporary waiting room outside the station. Citizens’ Rail will be helping the line to bounce back when it re-opens, through a major marketing campaign, station improvements and community engagement work.

[box close=”false” color=”#d42053″ icon=”” ]If you’d like to get involved in our Devon projects, or to participate in a future Citizens’ Rail workshop, get in touch.[/box]

2014/02/28
European goodie giveaway to celebrate extra Torbay trains

To celebrate the European role in the improved Torbay train service launched this week, passengers between Newton Abbot and Paignton were yesterday treated to complimentary French, German and Dutch lunchtime snacks on board.

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The pains aux raisins (made locally by St.Mary’s Bakery in Paignton), Printen from Aachen in Germany and Dutch waffles were chosen to represent the partner countries in Citizens’ Rail. The treats were very well received by passengers, and proved an excellent conversation starter to let people know about the improved service and the wider Citizens’ Rail project that has made the more frequent trains possible as part of the EU Interreg IVB programme.

More than one hundred sweet-toothed rail users took part over the course of the afternoon – with the pains aux raisins proving to be the most popular morsel of the day.

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2013/12/10
More frequent Torbay train service launched

South Devon residents and visitors are being encouraged to try the train following the launch of more frequent services between Newton Abbot, Torre, Torquay and Paignton.

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Four extra services are now running each way between Newton Abbot and Paignton (also calling at Torre and Torquay), as well as a further two additional stopping services each way between Exeter St Davids and Paignton.

The new timetable means that there are at least two trains per hour throughout most of the day. The new services will provide more connections at Newton Abbot with main line trains to and from Exeter, Plymouth, Bristol and London.

The improved service is thanks to Citizens’ Rail – the EU Interreg IVB project to develop local and regional railways in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Along with the extra trains, the project will also see improvements made to stations on the Riviera Line between Paignton and Exeter, a major marketing campaign, work to involve the community in the line and a new officer employed at the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership to coordinate activities.

Local partners in the project – which is 50% funded by the Interreg IVB programme – include Devon County Council, Torbay Council, First Great Western, Plymouth University and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership.

To celebrate the European involvement, on Monday 9th December, passengers between Newton Abbot and Paignton were treated to complimentary French, German and Dutch lunchtime snacks on board, including pains au raisins, German gingerbread and Dutch waffles (see photos from the goodie giveaway).

Speaking on behalf of First Great Western, Bid Director Matthew Golton said:
“First Great Western is committed to supporting the communities we serve, and delighted to be part of Citizens’ Rail. The additional services will make using the train much more attractive during the week, with fares providing good value when compared with the price of driving and parking.”

Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said:
“The improved services are starting at the perfect time to boost local shops in the run-up to Christmas. Looking further ahead, as more and more people take the train we hope that services can continue to be developed to meet our aim of two trains an hour between Exeter and Paignton. Working in partnership is the best way to make this happen.”

Torbay Council’s Executive Lead for Highways, Transport and Environment, Cllr Ray Hill, said:
“We welcome this exciting step forward for Torbay’s railway, the Riviera Line. The additional services complement the work already undertaken between Torbay Council, Network Rail and First Great Western to improve the appearance of our stations. Having frequent and reliable public transport is vital to making Torbay an even better place to live, work and to come and visit.”

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders said:
“This is an important project for Torbay’s residents and visitors alike, and one which I was very pleased to help launch at the Houses of Parliament. It is excellent to see the additional trains about to begin, delivering a welcome boost to the local economy in the run-up to Christmas. As passenger numbers grow, I hope this can be the springboard for further improvements to the service in the years to come.”

Get the new timetable, enter a draw to win a pair of First Class tickets to London and find out more about the project at www.citizensrail.org/devon.

2013/12/09
Win a pair of First Class tickets to London

First Great Western are offering the chance to win a pair of First Class return tickets to London in celebration of the more frequent train service between Newton Abbot, Torre, Torquay and Paignton.

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The improved timetable – which started on Monday 9th December – means that there are now 35 round trips between Newton Abbot and Paignton each weekday. For your chance to win the tickets, enter using the form below (or email your answers to info@citizensrail.org) by midday on Friday 20th December 2013.

[box close=”false” color=”#d42053″ icon=”” ]Competition now closed – thanks for all your entries. The winner has been notified by telephone. Commiserations if you weren’t in luck this time.[/box]

Terms and conditions

1. All entries must be received by midday on Friday 20 December 2013.

2. To enter, entrants must fully complete and return their entry form, including the correct answer to the competition question.

3. The prize is two First Class Return First Great Western train tickets, to be used on First Great Western services only.

4. The Free Prize Draw is only open to those who are 18 years or over and who are residents of the UK. Employees and immediate families of First Great Western Ltd, their agents and anyone professionally connected with the prize draw are not eligible to take part.

5. The prize must be accepted as awarded and is non-transferable. There is no cash alternative. If, due to circumstances beyond First Great Western’s control, First Great Western are unable to provide the stated prize, they reserve the right to award a substitute prize of equal or greater value.

6. Any extra costs incurred are not included within the prize.

7. No liability or responsibility will be accepted for ensuring submitted entries are received by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership.

8. Neither First Great Western nor the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership will be held responsible for any elements of the prize.

9. First Great Western reserves the right to check the validity of any entry. Entries failing to comply with these rules will not be accepted.

10. The prize will be won by the entrant whose name is drawn first on the afternoon of 20 December 2013. This draw will be supervised by an independent adjudicator. The winner will be notified by email or telephone no later than 24 December 2013. To request the name and county of the winner, please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, School of Geography, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA after 17 January 2014.

11. Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership will use its discretion to draw a replacement winner in the event of the prize remaining unclaimed two weeks after notification is sent to the email address provided by the original entrant.

12. No purchase is necessary to enter.

13. Entry implies acceptance of these rules.

14. Only one entry is permitted per person.

15. The prize is brought to you by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, School of Geography, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA and First Great Western Ltd, Milford House, 1 Milford Street, Swindon SN1 1HL. Registered number: 05113733.

2013/12/03
Passenger surveys on the Riviera Line

If you’re travelling on the Riviera Line in Torbay this week (18-22 November 2013), look out for the passenger survey being circulated by our friendly team – your chance to help us prioritise improvements for the future.

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The survey (available here as a PDF) gives passengers the chance to tell Citizens’ Rail about their journey and to give us your views about the stations and services on the Riviera Line (Exeter to Paignton).

It will be followed next week with a passenger count to establish baseline statistics for how many people are currently using the line, before the improved services begin on 9th December.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] Find out more about our Devon project.

2013/11/19
More Torbay trains from 9th December

Torbay and South Devon passengers are set to benefit from more frequent trains between Newton Abbot, Torre, Torquay and Paignton as part of Citizens’ Rail.

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Four extra services each way will run between Newton Abbot and Paignton (also calling at Torre and Torquay), and there will be a further two additional stopping services each way between Exeter St Davids and Paignton.

Beginning on 9 December the new timetable means that there are at least two trains per hour throughout most of the day. The new services will provide more connections at Newton Abbot with main line trains to and from Exeter, Plymouth, Bristol and London.

The improved service is thanks to Citizens’ Rail – the EU project to develop local and regional railways in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Along with the extra trains, the project will also see improvements made to stations on the Riviera Line between Paignton and Exeter, a major marketing campaign, work to involve the community in the line and a new officer employed at the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership to coordinate activities.

Local partners in the project – which is 50% funded by the EU’s INTERREG IVB programme – include Devon County Council, Torbay Council, First Great Western, Plymouth University and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership.

Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth, said:
“We know from local experience that having more frequent trains is key to attracting new passengers. We hope that, as patronage grows, services can develop to meet our aim of two trains an hour between Exeter and Paignton. Working in partnership in this way provides the best opportunity to achieve this.”

Torbay Council’s Executive Lead for Highways, Transport and Environment, Cllr Ray Hill, said:
“This is a major step forward for Torbay’s railway, the Riviera Line. We welcome the extra journeys made by the additional train, which complements the work already undertaken between Torbay Council and First Great Western, providing improvements to the appearance of the stations. Not only will they make local public transport journeys even more convenient, they will also mean easier and more reliable connections to main line services to travel up and down the country. This is vital in attracting rail passengers to come and visit Torbay.”

First Great Western’s General Manager West David Crome said:
“First Great Western is committed to supporting the communities we serve. Following the success of our community rail lines in Devon and Cornwall, we are delighted to partner in the Citizens’ Rail project.

“The additional services will make using the train much more attractive during the week, and our fares are also good value when compared with the price of driving and parking.”

Project Manager, Richard Burningham of the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership said:
“By being part of this international project, we will be able to learn from rail expertise from across North West Europe. A big part of Citizens’ Rail is about getting people involved with their railway. Local residents and community organisations will be asked what improvements they would like to see and there will also be lots of opportunities too for volunteers to get involved, from lending their gardening skills to helping with redecorating.”

[box close=”false” color=”#d42053″ icon=”” ]Get the new timetable
and find out more about the Riviera Line project[/box]

2013/11/07