Citizens' Rail

Category: Project-wide news

  • Dawlish is back!

    Dawlish is back!

    After a superhuman effort by Network Rail, their “orange army” and First Great Western, the railway through Dawlish re-opened today, two months on from the devastation of February’s storms.

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    During the line’s closure, Citizens’ Rail has worked to rejuvenate the previously dormant Friends of Dawlish Station volunteer group. Working alongside TV gardener Toby Buckland, the volunteers have given the station a green makeover, decked out the station with bunting for its re-opening, and become media stars in the process. In the past week alone the group have been front page news in the local press, been featured on BBC regional TV news, been interviewed on BBC Radio 4 and filmed by Channel 5.

    If you would like to get involved in the group (or would like to volunteer elsewhere along the Riviera Line), contact the Citizens’ Rail Riviera Line Officer Celia Minoughan on 01752 584777, email celia@citizensrail.org or visit our Devon page.



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

    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.

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    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.


  • Dutch tulips brighten up Torquay station

    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.

  • New Riviera Line officer to help railway to bounce back

    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.

  • Photos: Partner meeting in Devon

    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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]

  • Planning the “Beach Train II”

    Planning the “Beach Train II”

    Representatives from the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and Network Rail visited Pays de la Loire last week to discuss Citizens’ Rail projects including the follow-up to last summer’s extremely successful “beach train”.

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    In July and August 2013, the additional weekend trains on the La Roche-sur-Yon to Saumur line (see map) led to more than 5,300 extra journeys being made on what is normally a poorly used line – with new passengers attracted by a fantastic marketing campaign.

    Now, plans are taking shape for the beach train to be even bigger and better in 2014. At the meeting in Nantes, partners discussed the duration, fares and marketing of “Season 2” of the train – with details to be announced soon.

    Following the meeting – at which the partners also discussed next steps for the other Citizens’ Rail projects in Pays de la Loire – the visitors from the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership took a trip to Penhoët in St.Nazaire, where design students and the local community have been planning a safer, more attractive station as part of Citizens’ Rail.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] Keep up to date with the story of the beach train by signing up to the Citizens’ Rail enewsletter.

  • Burnley Manchester Road: latest photos

    Burnley Manchester Road: latest photos

    The new Community Station building at Burnley Manchester Road is rapidly taking shape, set to be completed in spring 2014 as part of Citizens’ Rail.

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    The station will provide a booking and information office, a ‘coffee cart’ as well as providing a base for the Community Ambassadors and the East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership. The station has been designed to provide an attractive and iconic gateway to the town.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] Read more about Citizens’ Rail in Lancashire and our work on Community Stations and line improvements.


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  • More frequent Torbay train service launched

    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.

  • Transnational masterclass

    Transnational masterclass

    Students from all four of the Citizens’ Rail partner countries came together in Heerlen in the Netherlands and Aachen in Germany for a two-day masterclass to learn, collaborate and generate radical new visions for local stations.

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    The masterclass on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October 2013 included site visits to stations including Nuth, Aachen Eilendorf and Aachen West. The 48 students (from Plymouth University, the University of Central Lancashire, L’Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique, Hogeschool Zuyd and RWTH Aachen University) came from a range of disciplines including geography, tourism, design and civil engineering. They formed four international multi-disciplinary teams to create impressive visions for improvements to Nuth and Eilendorf stations (PDFs):

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    Green team[/box]
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    The students also benefited from thought-provoking presentations from Prof Martina Fromhold-Eisebith (RWTH Aachen University), UK-based community rail champion Paul Salveson and artist Michel Huisman, the man behind the spectacular “Maankwartier” redevelopment of the nearby Heerlen station.

    The masterclass was organised by Citizens’ Rail partners RWTH Aachen University, the City of Aachen, Aachen Transport Authority (AVV) and Parkstad Limburg.


  • Burnley: Work begins on community station building

    Burnley: Work begins on community station building

    Construction has begun on the state-of-the-art redevelopment of Burnley Manchester Road station, part funded by Citizens’ Rail.

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    The new station building is scheduled to be completed in May 2014, and will provide improved facilities for passengers and a hub for the area’s Community Ambassadors, employed by Northern Rail with support from Citizens’ Rail, who engage hard-to-reach groups with their local rail services.

    The revamp is planned to coincide with the start of a new direct service to Manchester later in 2014, anticipated to significantly increase use of the station.

    Burnley Council Leader, Councillor Julie Cooper, said:

    “For some passengers, the train station can be the first impression they get of a town, and with the transformations underway in Burnley, with new schools, college and universities, it is important that visitors arriving, or passing through see the ‘new’ modern, changing Burnley.

    This is a vitally important project for Burnley’s future economic growth.”

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#d42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-circle-arrow-right” spacing=”0px” /] Visit our Lancashire project page or read the Burnley Council press release (PDF) to find out more.

    (Photo: Andy Ford)