Tag: community engagementDE

Students’ innovative Wi-Fi idea becomes a reality

A ground-breaking idea conceived at our recent Citizens’ Rail student masterclass has been implemented by the UK rail industry within just three months.

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The two-day workshop, hosted in Preston (UK) by the University of Central Lancashire in March 2015, brought together students from German, Dutch and UK universities to develop fresh ideas for how to promote local and regional railways.

Citizens’ Rail partners chose marketing as the focus for the masterclass because marketing campaigns are often simpler and quicker to implement than other rail projects. Students were therefore motivated by the knowledge that their proposals could soon be put into practice.

The Wi-Fi idea
The first idea to be realised came from the transnational group of students that was developing marketing campaigns targeted at tourists and leisure travellers.

The students saw an opportunity to promote leisure trips on local and regional lines using the Wi-Fi connection screens on mainline trains.

Implementing the concept
The idea was swiftly pursued by Citizens’ Rail’s lead partner, the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

Alongside its work within the European project, the Partnership was in the middle of planning a separate campaign to promote Cornwall’s scenic branch lines and destinations. The campaign harnessed the popularity of the BBC series Poldark. In spring 2015 the hit British television programme had prominently featured Cornwall’s beautiful coast, countryside and mining heritage. The Partnership therefore developed a theme of “Visit Poldark country by train”.

As well as a flagship event at London Paddington, leaflets and other materials, the Partnership created a mini-website showing how to visit filming locations from the programme by train.

Thanks to the masterclass, train operator First Great Western agreed to promote the campaign on the onboard Wi-Fi of their fleet of High Speed Trains. Now, when users connect to Wi-Fi aboard the train, they are greeted with the “Visit Poldark country by train” message.

When they click “Continue”, they are taken to the First Great Western homepage, which prominently features a link to the Partnership’s campaign website. The Wi-Fi promotion will continue to run until the later in the summer, helping to promote First Great Western’s branch lines to users of other parts of its network.

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The results
The campaign has already led to a 40% increase in the Partnership’s web traffic compared to the same period the previous year – attracting 10,000 visitors in just five weeks. The Partnership has also put the project forward for a national Community Rail Award (winners to be announced in October 2015).

The project shows the power of involving young people in their railway, and the difference that their fresh perspectives and innovative ideas can bring.

Participating universities
Citizens’ Rail would like to thank all the students and universities that took part. The event, which was the follow-up to our first masterclass in Aachen and Parkstad Limburg in 2013, was a great example of the transnational working that is at the heart of the EU Interreg IVB NWE programme, through which Citizens’ Rail is funded.

University of Central Lancashire
Plymouth University
RWTH Aachen University
Zuyd Hogeschool

Read more about the masterclass and see the students’ PowerPoint presentations.

2015/06/26
Schülerinnen und Schüler verschönern den Bahnhof Eilendorf

Für Grundschüler wird der Weg zur Schule meist zu Fuß oder mit dem Fahrrad zurückgelegt. Mit dem Wechsel zu einer weiterführenden Schule verändern sich meist auch die Schulwege – und damit auch die Verkehrsmittel. Die Maria-Montessori-Gesamtschule hat nun erstmals mit Schülern einer 6. Klasse ein Mobilitätsprojekt durchgeführt, das sich mit dem Bahnfahren beschäftigt. Darin ging es um Bahnfahrpraxis, um die Sicherheit am Bahnhof und im Zug, um Bahnverbindungen, Fahrpläne und ums Umsteigen.

Am Abschluss des Projektes stand eine Gestaltungsaufgabe: Der Fahrgastunterstand und die Lärmschutzwand am Bahnhof Eilendorf sollten verschönert werden. Ein Wettbewerb wurde unter Schülern der 6. und 7. Klasse durchgeführt, die Siegerentwürfe wurden durch eine Jury bewertet und nun durch die Schüler selbst realisiert. Dabei wurden vor allem Bahnmotive verwendet: Das Wartehäuschen vermittelt nun den Eindruck, als säße man in einem fahrenden Zug. Auf der Lärmschutzwand ist ein Bahnschaffner mit Kelle abgebildet. „Ich finde es toll, mit welchem Ideenreichtum die Schüler an die Gestaltung herangegangen sind“, lobte Bezirksbürgermeisterin Elke Eschweiler die nun fast abgeschlossene Arbeit auf einer Pressekonferenz am Mittwoch, 24. Juni. Sie kündigte an, dass sich die Bezirksvertretung Aachen-Eilendorf im August mit weiteren Ideen der Kinder beschäftigen werde, die zu einer Umgestaltung des nahe gelegenen Spielplatzes zu einem „Bahnhofspielplatz“ führen könne.

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Auch Abdelhafid Tahri von der Deutsche Bahn Station und Service Aachen fand lobende Worte für die Arbeit der Schüler, dankte aber auch der Stadt Aachen für die Aufnahme in das EU-Projekt Citizens‘ Rail. Denn die Aktion wurde über dieses Projekt finanziert, in dem die Stadt Aachen mit Partnern aus Großbritannien (University of Plymouth, Lancashire County Council, Devon&Cornwall Rail Partnership), Frankreich (Pays de la Loire) und den Niederlanden (Parkstad Limburg) zusammen arbeitet. Ein ähnliches Gestaltungs-Projekt haben Kinder aus Burnley, Lancashire, im Nordwesten Englands an ihrer Schule durchgeführt – sie entwickelten ein Plakat, das für das Bahnfahren werben soll.

Gemeinsam mit den deutschen Partnern (Geographisches Institut der RWTH Aachen, Aachener Verkehrsverbund – AVV) wurde über Citizens‘ Rail die Bürgerbeteiligung für einen künftigen neuen, barrierefreien Zugang zu den Gleisen – eine Fußgängerbrücke – am Haltepunkt in Eilendorf organisiert. Darauf wies Christiane Melcher, Leiterin des Fachbereichs Stadtentwicklung und Verkehrsanlagen der Stadt Aachen, hin. Aktuell laufen weitere Abstimmungen zwischen den Partnern Deutsche Bahn, Stadt und AVV zu den weiteren Planungsphasen. Eine Umsetzung soll gemeinsam mit dem Verkehrsprojekt Rhein-Ruhr-Express erfolgen, das für 2019/2020 geplant ist. Auch die Planung für einen neuen barrierefreien Zugang am Haltepunkt Aachen-West und einen neuen Haltepunkt der euregiobahn in Richterich wurde durch Citizens‘ Rail gefördert.

„An den Schulen wird den Kindern der sichere Umgang mit alternativen Fortbewegungsmittel vermittelt“, erläuterte Irmgard Braun, Schulleiterin der Maria-Montessori-Gesamtschule. An der Grundschule sei es das Fahrrad und der sichere Weg zu Fuß, in der 5. Klasse das Busfahren, und in den Stufen 6 und 7 die Nutzung der Bahn. Für die Gestaltung des Bahnhofes seien „viele tolle Vorschläge eingegangen“, ergänzte Elke Schwefer, Abteilungsleiterin Jahrgangsstufen 5-7 an der Maria Montessori-Gesamtschule (MMGE). „Nicht alle ließen sich verwirklichen.“ Ein Dank ging an die großzügige Unterstützung des nahe gelegenen Sportcenters „Tai-Kien-Boxen”, das die Schülerinnen und Schüler während ihrer Arbeit unterstützte.

Weitere Informationen unter www.aachen.de/bahnhof.

2015/06/25
Celebrating Burnley Manchester Road

A celebratory event was held today to mark the investment of £2.3m investment in Burnley’s Manchester Road railway station and launch a new campaign to market East Lancashire’s attractions to rail visitors.

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As part of the Citizens’ Rail project, work took place over the last 18 months to provide the station with an iconic station building with improved car and cycle parking, CCTV, real time information and improved signage, before services began running on the direct Blackburn to Manchester service via the newly restored Todmorden Curve.

The Explore East Lancashire marketing campaign will highlight the faster connection as an opportunity to visit the area’s attractions. Posters and leaflets (download a copy, 0.4MB) supporting the campaign will be displayed at stations between Blackburn and Manchester along with artwork previously produce by pupils from Padiham Green primary school.

Representatives of Burnley Borough Council, Lancashire County Council, Northern Rail, Community Rail Lancashire and Citizens’ Rail gathered to unveil a plaque marking the station investment and enjoy presentations by pupils from Padiham Green Primary School. The first was about the history of the station, and the second told the story of a stickleback called ‘small fry’ that was sucked into the water tank of an engine at Rose Grove and then went on a journey to Manchester and back via the Todmorden Curve. Read the full story in the children’s excellent hand-made book, Operation Stickleback (5MB PDF).

Councillor Mark Townsend, leader of Burnley Council, said: ‘‘Visitors to Burnley Manchester Road Station are predicted to double now the direct service to Manchester has been established. We’re delighted to have a direct service to Manchester from Burnley once again. It will bring clear benefits to our economy in terms of access to the job market and establishing Burnley as a commuter town. It’s a real milestone in our continuing success story and one we wish to celebrate.”

Alex Hynes, managing director for Northern Rail comments: “What a fantastic opportunity to celebrate all that has been achieved from a solid partnership approach. Working together with Lancashire County Council, we have promoted a brand new, direct service into Manchester to the communities, towns and villages across Lancashire, which we hope will bring more opportunities than ever to this growing part of our network.”

Citizens’ Rail project manager, Richard Burningham of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership said: “The Citizens’ Rail partners, from France, Germany and the Netherlands as well as here in the UK, are delighted to have helped make this brilliant transformation of Burnley Manchester Road station a reality.”

County Councillor John Fillis, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Improving transport connections is vital to our ambitions to create the conditions for future economic growth in East Lancashire.

“We’re working hard to develop the case for the government and the rail industry to invest in the infrastructure to improve journey times and frequency, as well as modern rolling stock and station facilities.

“The restored Todmorden Curve and improved stations in Burnley represent a real step forward but this is just the start of what we need in future.”

Funding for the station improvements was provided by Burnley Council, Lancashire County Council and the Citizens’ Rail Interreg IVB project. A further £100,000 was secured from the National Station Improvement Programme (NSIP) by Northern Rail/Network Rail to support the platform works including the new passenger shelters.

2015/06/24
The power of storytelling – Part Two

Our French partner, Région Pays de la Loire, has held a second storytelling event to capture the imagination of local residents and help them to re-discover their railway station.

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Following the success of April’s “The Imaginary Journey“, a community train trip from Saint-Nazaire’s Penhoët station to Nantes with a focus on fantastical train narratives from around the world, this week’s event focused on exploring the station via the distinctive alleys of Penhoët’s local neighbourhood.

The area’s network of “Chemins de brouettes” (“Wheelbarrow alleys” – so called because they are just wide enough to accommodate one!) date from the 1950s. Each resident relinquished a small part of their land to allow the creation of pedestrian pathways linking key locations.

Local theatre troupe la Caravane Compagnie took a group of 25 local residents on a fun-filled walk through these passageways, regaling their audience with tales from the neighbourhood’s past. Their final destination was the station, which some of the participants were discovering for the first time thanks to the event. Drinks and nibbles were had under the passenger bridge above, giving a chance for further discussion about the upcoming improvement works at the station and more conversations about the area’s past and traditions.

This intimate style of event, organised in partnership with Saint-Nazaire town council, allowed residents to plot their own routes to the station for the future, and helped put the station back on the map within the local neighbourhood.

2015/06/23
Collaborating with businesses on The Riviera Line

The Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership (our lead partner) carried out a face-to-face campaign in Torquay and Paignton this week, engaging more than 100 businesses.

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From bookshops to cafes, model shops to theatres, the Partnership’s Riviera Line Officer visited a wide range of consumer businesses. The aim was to recruit the companies to help spread the word about travelling to Torbay by train – boosting the railway and bringing more customers at the same time.

The response was extremely positive, with retailers happy to stock leaflets and to display awareness-raising “Get here on the Riviera Line” stickers in their shop windows.

2015/06/18
Young artists to bring Eilendorf station to life

School children are set to give Eilendorf station a whole new look, thanks to an art competition that is a great example of the Citizens’ Rail approach.

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Eilendorf is one of our target stations in Aachen (Germany). As part of Citizens’ Rail, the local community has helped to plan major improvements at the station. Now pupils from Maria Montessori Gesamtschule Aachen are getting ready to make a big impact of their own.

Aachen City Council has run a competition with the school to produce artistic designs to brighten up the station’s shelters, noise reduction wall, entrance and signage. The children visited the station to take a look for themselves and get inspired. They then produced a wide range of concepts, from which the winners (see below) were picked by a panel of judges from the City Council, the school, Deutsche Bahn and other project partners.

As the next step in the project, the pupils will be returning to the station later this month with paint brushes in hand, ready to turn their vision into reality…

Photos

The pupils explore the station and surrounding neighbourhood on their site visit:

The winning design for the station shelter:

The winning design for the noise reduction wall:

Check back soon to see the finished artwork…

2015/06/11
Storytelling as a way to engage the community

Our French partner, Région Pays de la Loire, has helped local residents to (re)discover their local station through the timeless appeal of storytelling.

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20 people – young and old – from Penhoët (the area around Saint-Nazaire’s docks) joined a pair of actors from local theatre troupe la Caravane Compagnie for a trip entitled “The Imaginary Journey”. The experience began on foot, exploring iconic spots in the local neighbourhood, including the market hall shown below, and recounting tales of the shipyard workers, for whom Penhoët station was originally built.

The next part of the journey was by train to Nantes. None of the children on the walk had ever taken a regional train before, and only two had ever been on a high speed train. Asked about their first impressions, the children’s answers were striking: “comfortable”, “quick”, “convenient” – all showing that the day had sparked a desire to explore the regional rail network more in future.

Upon arrival in Nantes, SNCF’s Marco Martinelli gave a tour of the station, answering the many questions from the families about the workings of the station and the logistics of travelling by train.

Children and parents were then invited to design their own “Imaginary Journey” in the comfort of a dedicated room provided by SNCF. After the real-life train journey earlier in the day, the imagination took hold – with some of the ideas generated including trains on the moon, and even trains that can cross oceans. The artwork produced will be put on public display this summer and throughout the improvement works scheduled at Penhoët station.

To say thank you, the Région and SNCF presented the children with a “passport”, giving them free travel on the Pays de la Loire network for two months. Inspired by a similar scheme by their fellow Citizens’ Rail partners Community Rail Lancashire, the passport is more than a souvenir of the day. It acts as an educational tool and makes commercial sense in terms of encouraging whole families to travel by rail more frequently.

On the return journey, the actors told stories on the train using children’s books about dramatic railways around the world, from the Flying Scotsman to the Orient Express.

The project was organised in partnership with the events team of housing association la Maison de Quartier Méan-Penhoët. They emphasised that the key to making the event work was to have in depth discussions in advance, and to gradually build the content of the journey by working together.

The project succeeded in its goal of linking the past and the future, by directly appealing to local residents and organisations, and by making full use of the regional network. The storytellers’ theatrical narrative meant that the event was immersed in the cultural identity of the Penhoët neighbourhood’s history and identity.

2015/06/05
Another Riviera Line station set to go green

Following the community-led green revamps of Torquay, Dawlish and Teignmouth stations, Torre is set to be next on the Riviera Line to be brightened up.

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The gardening team from Robert Owen Communities’ Railway Project, who have already worked wonders at Torquay station, have been making preparations to transform the station border on the upside platform using herbs and other shrubs with a sensory appeal. The work is being supported by funding from Citizens’ Rail and will complement the station’s new shelter.

As Robert Owen Communities (ROC) celebrates its 25th anniversary, the Railway Project is a key part of its Work2Work initiative, in which the person with the learning disability is thoroughly prepared for the world of work.

Chris, one of the people supported by the project, said: “I do a paid cleaning job three times each week at ROC Aspects. I like set tasks and can work independently. I love the Railway Project and am really looking forward to working at Torre.”

ROC’s Jessica Allan said: “The Railway Project is a great place for the people we support to make new friends, learn about gardening and work and stay fit in a safe and fun environment. This new project excites us because we can help bring about the same transformation as we have at Torquay station.”

Celia Minoughan, Citizens’ Rail Riviera Line Officer, added: “I am delighted that the ROC Railway Adoption project has made such a great start to the transformation of the garden at Torre Station. ROC has exciting plans for brightening up the platform border.”

Ian Mundy, station manager for First Great Western said: “Working in partnership with ROC and DCRP is proving to be a most worthwhile project. Not only does it provide valuable life and work skills for the people ROC supports, it’s transforming a previously unloved station into a welcoming and bright location for our customers.”

In other developments, there are also green plans for Exeter St Thomas station – more news soon!

2015/06/04
Food and information stall helps to inform Penhoët station users

Our French partner, Région des Pays de la Loire, has once again proved the power of using food to engage people. Their snacks and information event at Penhoët station in Saint-Nazaire enabled staff from SNCF TER and the Région to consult 150 people and let them know about upcoming station improvements.

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The event built upon Citizens’ Rail’s “European breakfast” mornings on The Riviera Line in the UK and on the La Roche Bressuire line, also in Pays de la Loire. However this time there was a new twist, with the food prepared by college students from the nearby Lycée des métiers Sainte-Anne.

The afternoon stall allowed station users and local residents to find out more and ask questions about the big improvements that will happen at the station later in the year.

The event will be followed with a pair of storytelling sessions at the station in April and June, as the next stage in Région des Pays de la Loire’s community engagement programme.

2015/04/01
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