Category: Devon

Access improved at Exeter St Thomas station

Complementing the new shelters recently installed at Exeter St Thomas station as part of Citizens’ Rail, the station has now also been fitted with a “Harrington Hump” (pictured above) to improve the station’s accessibility.

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The hump, provided by Network Rail as part of a major roll-out separate from the Citizens’ Rail project, is a simple and cost effective way to reduce the height difference between the platform and the train. Previously, passengers had to take a big step up or down to board or alight the train – causing particular difficulties for people with reduced mobility and families with buggies.

Also known as an “Easy access area”, the nickname for the technology derives from Harrington station in Cumbria, the first place where the hump was introduced back in 2008.

The Exeter St Thomas hump will be followed by further Citizens’ Rail involvement at the station. New ticket machines are on the way, and the recently formed Friends of Exeter St Thomas group are working with our lead partner the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership on a range of exciting potential ideas for the station, including murals, photographic displays and more greenery – all designed to create a welcoming environment and boost usage of the station.

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.

2015/04/16
Conference presentation on developing railway websites

Citizens’ Rail’s Communications Officer Mike Parker-Bray delivered a presentation on “Developing a Community Rail website” at the 2015 First Great Western community rail conference.

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Train operator First Great Western plays a major role in Citizens’ Rail’s Riviera Line project, and holds the event each year to bring together all those involved with, or who have an interest in, the various Community Rail lines and activities across the region. This year’s conference on 19th March was held in Bristol, European Green Capital 2015.

The website presentation was prompted by interest in Citizens’ Rail’s award-winning TheRivieraLine.com website, pictured above.

[power_title color=”#404040″ ]Slides from the presentation[/power_title]

You can read more about these topics thanks to a list of additional resources compiled to support the talk.

2015/03/20
Rail volunteers are local TV stars again

On the first anniversary of the devastating storms that left the Riviera Line in tatters, the Friends of Dawlish Station have again been featured on BBC’s Spotlight news thanks to their contribution to the station’s revival.

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The volunteer group, which had previously been dormant, was itself rejuvenated as part of the Citizens’ Rail project. New members were recruited through a media campaign and local networking by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership. The Friends then helped to give their station a green makeover working alongside broadcaster and horticulturalist Toby Buckland, right in time for the line’s grand re-opening on 4th April 2014. Read more about the Dawlish story.

The BBC Spotlight regional news programme visited Dawlish to broadcast live from the station on the storm’s anniversary, and interviewed the Friends group – pictured below with colleagues from Network Rail:

To find out more about the group or to get involved, contact Citizens’ Rail’s Riviera Line Officer, Celia Minoughan, on 01752 584777 or at celia@citizensrail.org.

2015/02/06
Photo competition: Win a night’s stay at Dartington

Share a photo from your favourite Devon train trip from the last 12 months and you could win a night’s bed and breakfast at Dartington Hall near Totnes.

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Whether it’s of a family day out or a great sunset snapped from the train on your commute, post your photo on the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership’s Facebook page, tweet to @DCRailPart or email info@citizensrail.org by Monday 9th February to be in with a chance of winning.

At Dartington there are 50 rooms facing a medieval listed courtyard, with easy access to over 800 acres of glorious Grade 2* listed gardens, the best in local and seasonal food and drink, a wide film programme at the 14th century Barn Cinema, and much more. Visit the Dartington Hall website to find out more.

The competition is part of the Citizens’ Rail project, working to get people more involved with their railways and to boost the Riviera Line between Exeter and Torbay.

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.

Send us your photo:
Facebook | Twitter | info@citizensrail.org

Terms and conditions
1. All entries must be received by 23.59 on Monday 9th February 2015.
2. To enter, entrants must post a photo on the Great Scenic Railways Facebook page www.facebook.com/greatscenicrailways, tweet to @DCRailPart or email to info@citizensrail.org by 23.59 on 9 February 2015
3. There is one prize of a one-night stay for 2 people at Dartington Hall which must be taken by 30 April. The prize is not available on 14 February and 3-6 April 2015. It includes bed and breakfast and is subject to availability.
4. The competition is only open to those who are 18 years or over and who are residents of the UK. Employees and immediate families of Dartington Hall Trust, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, their agents and anyone professionally connected with the competition 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 Dartington Hall Trust’s control, Dartington Hall Trust is 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 Dartington Hall Trust nor the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership will be held responsible for any elements of the prize.
9 Dartington Hall Trust 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 who is judged by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership to have submitted the best photo from a trip in Devon from 2014. The competition judging will be supervised by an independent adjudicator. The winner will be notified by email or telephone no later than 12 February 2015. 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 30 April 2015.
11. Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership will use its discretion to select replacement winners in the event of the prizes 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 The Dartington Hall Trust, The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon, company number 1485560, and a charity, registered in England, charity number 279756.

2015/01/28
“Friends of the Station” group launched at Exeter St Thomas

As part of Citizens’ Rail, a new community group has been launched to support the improvement of Exeter St Thomas station on The Riviera Line in Devon.

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20 people attended the group’s first meeting and drop-in session, held on 13th January and organised by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and train operator First Great Western. The Friends of Exeter St Thomas Station will help plan murals for the station platform walls and greenery on the platforms, as well as getting involved in planting and watering. The meeting was very productive – with excellent feedback from attendees:

Inspiring community ideas at last night's launch of Friends of #EXEStThomas Station – next stop, a site visit @CitizensRail @DCRailPart

— Cllr Paul Bull (@CllrPaul4Cowick) January 14, 2015

The formation of the Friends group is being supported by the EU Citizens’ Rail project, led by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, which is working to develop the Riviera Line, between Exeter and Paignton, and get more people involved with their railway. The project has already helped to revive the Friends of Dawlish Station and set up a new Friends of Teignmouth Station group.

Celia Minoughan, Riviera Line project officer at the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, said: “The impact that the volunteers have had at Dawlish station shows what can be achieved. We are looking forward to getting ideas from local residents so we can make a real difference to passengers at Exeter St Thomas.”

First Great Western Station Manager Melanie Harvey “We are committed to supporting the communities we serve. This project is aiming to get the railway, volunteers and local businesses to work together to improve the station environment for all.”

The formation of the new group coincides with other improvements taking place at the station as part of Citizens’ Rail – including attractive new shelters.

To find out more or get involved, contact Citizens’ Rail’s Riviera Line Officer, Celia Minoughan, on 01752 584777 or at celia@citizensrail.org.

2015/01/15
Photos from the Santa Special

This weekend, Citizens’ Rail lent a helping hand to First Great Western’s charity fundraising Santa Special train from Newton Abbot station in Devon.

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The trip was made extra special as it was on the rarely used former ‘Teign Valley’ Heathfield line. First Great Western worked with Network Rail, the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (Citizens’ Rail’s lead partner) and the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust to put on this very special event. All proceeds from ticket sales was donated to the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust.

Citizens’ Rail’s Riviera Line Officer helped to recruit volunteers to help at the event. The Friends of Dawlish and Teignmouth Stations and rail user groups joined First Great Western to give away free mince pies and talk to passengers about great value days out by train.

Enjoy some photos from the day…

2014/12/23
Anniversary of improved Torbay train service

The first anniversary of improved train services between Newton Abbot and Torbay, made possible by the Citizens’ Rail project, was marked by the cutting of a special birthday cake at Paignton station today.

Since the improved service began, there have been 20% more trains between Paignton, Torquay, Torre and Newton Abbot on weekdays, meaning that there are at least two trains an hour each way throughout most of the day.

The service improvements are part of the Citizens’ Rail project, 50% funded by the EU Interreg IVB programme and whose local partners are Torbay Council, Devon County Council, First Great Western, Plymouth University and the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

Leading the project is the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership. Manager Richard Burningham said “The first anniversary of the improved train services is a key landmark in our project which aims to significantly boost Torbay and South Devon’s railway.”

The project, which began two years ago, is working to develop the Riviera Line, between Paignton, Newton Abbot and Exeter, in a variety of different ways, including train service improvements, station improvements, particularly at Torre and Exeter St Thomas stations, a big marketing campaign and work to greatly increase community involvement.

The cake-cutting was filmed by the BBC’s regional TV news programme, Spotlight. Interviewees included First Great Western’s Ian Mundy (immediately below), and Richard Burningham of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership (two photos down).

As part of the celebration, Ian Mundy and Torbay Council’s David Whiteway took the opportunity to share the anniversary cake with passengers. Our thanks to the local culinary wizards at Simply Sue-Perb Cakes for providing such a realistic and delicious cake.

More information about the Citizens’ Rail project, including how to get involved, can be obtained from Riviera Line Project Officer Celia Minoughan at the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership on 01752 584777 or at celia@citizensrail.org.

Information about Riviera Line train times and fares can be found on the award-winning Riviera Line website, created as part of Citizens’ Rail.

2014/12/09
Walks booklet launched

As part of the Citizens’ Rail project, a new booklet has been developed to encourage more people to enjoy walks from stations on The Riviera Line (Exeter to Paignton).

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The free booklet has been produced by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and brings together a selection of six self-guided walks. Included are walks from Starcross, Dawlish Warren, Dawlish and Teignmouth stations. It is part of the promotional campaign being run for the line by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership as part of the EU Interreg IVB Citizens’ Rail project. See a PDF copy of the leaflet (3MB):

Celia Minoughan, the Partnership’s Riviera Line Project Officer said:

“The booklet is a great companion for people who like exploring South Devon. There are some fabulous walks to explore along the Riviera Line, and this is just a taster of what is out there.”

At Dawlish station this week Celia was joined by walkers from the Dawlish Walk This Way group at the start of their weekly Wednesday walk. Nigel Rhys, a walk leader from Walk This Way, said:

“We welcome the Walks from the Riviera Line booklet. Every week we lead up to 40 people on walks from Dawlish Station, including the Dawlish Town Trail featured in the booklet. A few of our group regularly come from Starcross by train to join us at Dawlish Station.”

30,000 copies of the “Walks from the Riviera Line” booklet have been printed and can be found at stations throughout the First Great Western network as well as local tourist information centres. Copies can also be obtained by emailing railpart@plymouth.ac.uk.

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. For more information about ‘Walks from the Riviera Line’ and the Citizens’ Rail project, including how to get involved, contact Celia Minoughan at the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership on 01752 584777 or at celia@citizensrail.org.

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2014/12/05
The Riviera Line website wins another award

After being recognised last month at the UK Community Rail Awards, a website developed as part of the Citizens’ Rail project has received further praise – this time winning at the UK Rail Exec Most Interesting Awards.

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The Riviera Line website won in the Most Interesting Community Engagement Project category at the awards, held in Leicester on 29th November 2014. The award was presented by Neil Buxton, General Manager of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships to Mike Parker-Bray, Citizens’ Rail Communications Officer at the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

The story of the website
After winter’s infamous storms, the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership (DCRP) wanted to harness the local feel-good factor around the re-opening of the line through Dawlish.

A marketing campaign was developed to win back lost passengers and to attract non-users to try the train between Exeter and Paignton. Its centrepiece was TheRivieraLine.com – a new type of community rail website, providing concise travel advice delivered in a visual, modern style.

The website – launched in the first week of April 2014 to coincide with the line’s re-opening – was created as part of the EU Citizens’ Rail project, of which DCRP is the lead partner.

Five innovative features:

Resizing to suit all devices
The site is believed to be community rail’s first “responsive” website. This means its content resizes to provide a comfortable reading experience on PCs, tablets and smartphones (see screenshots provided). This is not only better for the user, but it also minimises costs for the Community Rail Partnership – who might otherwise have to fund and manage an app or separate mobile version of the website. It also future-proofs the website: with the numbers of people viewing websites on mobile devices widely predicted to grow and grow. Since its launch, one in three visits to TheRivieraLine.com has come from smartphones or tablets.

Tailored for non-users
The website breaks down barriers to travel by explaining the essentials in an approachable, easy-to-digest way. This ranges from how to buy tickets when travelling from unstaffed stations, to whether you can take your dog on board, to whether there are toilets on the train. The site addresses these frequently asked questions in a concise, friendly way to help non-users to try the train. This is a departure from the stuffy tone and long-winded content of some public transport websites.

Gathering insights to inform future marketing
Every link on the website is tracked, so that over time a rich picture will develop of which types of discounted tickets are most popular and which destinations are clicked most frequently. In this way the website will become a valuable source of insights to inform future marketing: both online and offline.

Professional, people-focused photography
The site uses professional photography to put people at the heart of the story. This addresses what is arguably a common weakness of public transport websites.

Bringing together little-known tools
There are many handy rail travel tools available online, including season ticket calculators, personalised timetable creators, live departure information, car parking season ticket calculators and more. However, they are often little-known and are tucked away on a range of different websites. TheRivieraLine.com showcases them (including providing direct links to the tools) to raise their profile and help users.

[button size=”large” color=”#ffffff” background=”#d42053″ radius=”0px” type=”flat” link=”http://therivieraline.com/” newwindow=”false” icon=”” ]Visit the website[/button]

2014/12/05
Citizens’ Rail supports Santa Special

Citizens’ Rail is lending a helping hand to First Great Western’s charity fundraising Santa Special train from Newton Abbot station in Devon.

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On Sunday 21st December Santa is visiting the Newton Abbot to Heathfield railway, the former ‘Teign Valley’ Heathfield line. First Great Western are working with Network Rail, the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (Citizens’ Rail’s lead partner) and the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust to put on this very special event.

Citizens’ Rail’s Riviera Line Officer has helped to recruit volunteers to help at the event. The Friends of Dawlish and Teignmouth Stations and rail user groups will be joining First Great Western to give away free mince pies and talk to passengers about great value days out by train.

Tickets for these exciting trips are set to sell out quickly and all proceeds will be donated to the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust.

From Wednesday 19th November, tickets will be available from the booking office at Newton Abbot on a first come, first served basis (cash only).

Find out more – click the event poster below to enlarge:

2014/11/13