Citizens' Rail

Tag: communityengagement-FR

  • Students’ innovative Wi-Fi idea becomes a reality

    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.




  • Pupils brighten up Eilendorf station

    Pupils brighten up Eilendorf station

    Local children have given Aachen’s Eilendorf station a whole new look – and grabbed the media spotlight in the process.

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    In a great example of community participation and the Citizens’ Rail approach, pupils from Maria Montessori Gesamtschule Aachen have been painting the station’s shelter and noise reduction wall based on their own vivid artwork.

    Aachen City Council ran a competition with the school to produce 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 were picked by a panel of judges from the City Council, the school, Deutsche Bahn and other project partners.

    Now the students have returned to make their designs a reality – and have attracted plenty of media attention. They were featured on local TV news (watch here at 16min 30 – available for the next seven days), and were saluted on the front page of free local newspaper “Super Mittwoch”, distributed to every household in the city. Further press articles are expected in the coming days.

    Waiting shelter

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    Noise reduction wall

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    The project has also been praised by partners and elected officials. District Mayor Elke Eschweiler said: “I think it’s great, the wealth of ideas which the students have brought to their designs is fantastic.” She announced that Aachen-Eilendorf District Council will soon be looking at further children’s projects, which could lead to a re-design of the neighbouring playground into a “station playground”. Deutsche Bahn’s Abdelhafid Tahri was also full of praise for the students’ work, as well as thanking Aachen City Council and the EU Citizens’ Rail project – which has helped to involve citizens in planning significant improvements at the station.

    For more information, visit www.aachen.de/bahnhof.



  • Celebrating Burnley Manchester Road

    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.

  • Jusqu’à la gare de Penhoët à travers les “Chemins de Brouettes”

    Jusqu’à la gare de Penhoët à travers les “Chemins de Brouettes”

    Comment faire découvrir la gare de Penhoët aux habitants du quartier ? En leur donnant envie de s’y rendre ! Et si possible en s’amusant. Pari réussi pour cette deuxième balade Citizens’Rail à Penhoët, en compagnie des conteuses.

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    Second volet de l’opération “balades contées”, celle du dimanche 7 juin 2015 a réuni 25 adultes habitant Saint-Nazaire. De l’église de Méan jusqu’à la gare de Penhoët, les participants ont déambulé à travers les “Chemins de Brouettes” en passant par les halles du marché de Penhoët, le café “Chez Gigi” et la passerelle ferroviaire.

    Les “Chemins de Brouettes” datent des années 1950, années de construction des nombreux pavillons ouvriers qui constituent aujourd’hui encore le tissu urbain du quartier Méan-Penhoët. À l’époque, chaque habitant a offert un petit bout de sa parcelle de terrain pour permettre la réalisation de chemins piétonniers reliant les différents lieux du quartier. S’il s’agissait à l’origine d’évacuer plus facilement les déchets de jardin (avec des brouettes, d’où leur nom), ce sont aujourd’hui des liaisons piétonnes très bucoliques qui irriguent le quartier.

    Les personnages de “Virginie et Thérèse”, toujours incarnés par les comédiennes de la Caravane Compagnie comme le 18 Avril, nous ont emmenés avec humour et poésie dans l’univers des petits métiers autrefois exercés dans le quartier Penhoët.

    Le cheminement, vécu de façon intime permet aux habitants de s’approprier le “chemin de la gare”. Une gare qui ne devrait plus être désormais inconnue !

    Pour cette opération, la Région des Pays de la Loire s’est associée à la Ville de Saint-Nazaire qui a une expérience similaire pour permettre aux habitants de découvrir les nouveaux projets urbains. De nombreux participants ont découvert la gare de Penhoët grâce à cette action. Beaucoup confondent les gares de La Croix-de-Méan et de Penhoët.

    Sous un soleil radieux, la balade s’est terminée autour du verre de l’amitié (sous l’escalier de la passerelle ferroviaire !) pendant lequel se sont prolongées les discussions sur la rénovation de la gare et l’histoire du quartier. Tous ont loué le plaisir de découvrir la gare de façon ludique et décalée.

  • Collaborating with businesses on The Riviera Line

    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.

  • Young artists to bring Eilendorf station to life

    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…

  • “Le Voyage Imaginaire” : une balade contée entre Saint-Nazaire et Nantes

    “Le Voyage Imaginaire” : une balade contée entre Saint-Nazaire et Nantes

    Une vingtaine d’habitants (petits et grands) du quartier Penhoët ont répondu présent le 18 avril dernier pour (re)découvrir leur gare de proximité au cours d’une balade originale.

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    Deux comédiennes de la Caravane Compagnie (une troupe de théâtre locale) ont accompagné le groupe en “fil rouge” tout au long d’un parcours qui nous a conduit de la Maison de Quartier jusqu’à Nantes, en passant par la gare et en prenant le train. Après l’accueil où les personnages “Thérèse” et “Virginie” se sont présentés, le voyage a débuté par une déambulation dans les rues du quartier Penhoët, en passant par les lieux emblématiques tels que les halles du marché, le café “chez Gigi”, la rue de Trignac… L’occasion de citer des anecdotes de la vie de tous les jours des ouvriers des chantiers navals pour laquelle la gare avait été initialement construite.

    Aucun des enfants présents avec leur famille n’avait jamais pris un TER (train express régional). Seuls deux étaient déjà monté à bord d’un TGV (train à grande vitesse). Interrogés sur leurs premières impressions, les mots d’enfants sont significatifs : “confortable”, “rapide”, “pratique”… L’expérience leur a donné envie de se déplacer plus souvent en TER à l’avenir.

    Arrivés à Nantes, Marco Martinelli, agent SNCF, nous a fait découvrir les lieux du hall voyageurs aux souterrains, en passant par les guichets de vente et les quais. Comment lire le tableau des trains au départ ? Par où passer avec un fauteuil roulant ? Quels services trouve-t-on en gare ? Autant de questions qui ont trouvé des réponses adaptées aux familles présentes.

    Enfants et parents étaient ensuite invités à dessiner leur “voyage imaginaire” dans une salle de la gare mise à disposition par la SNCF. Après le déplacement physique entre Saint-Nazaire et Nantes, l’imagination a pris le pouvoir pour donner naissance à différentes formes d’expression artistique (des trains sur la lune, d’autres qui traversent les océans…). Les dessins seront exposés cet été et pendant la durée des travaux sur l’escalier de la passerelle ferroviaire.

    Après le goûter, la Région en partenariat avec la SNCF, a offert un “Passeport” aux enfants, leur permettant de voyager gratuitement sur le réseau des Pays de la Loire pendant 2 mois. Plus qu’un souvenir personnalisé de la journée, c’est à la fois un outil pédagogique et de promotion commerciale.

    Pendant le trajet du retour dans le TER Nantes > Saint-Nazaire, les comédiennes ont raconté des histoires sur les trains à l’aide de livres pour enfants et notamment les trains de l’extrême à l’autre bout du monde (le Flying Soctsman, le transibérien, l’orient express, le train bleu, etc…).

    Le projet a été monté en partenariat avec l’équipe d’animation de la Maison de Quartier Méan-Penhoët, un acteur de terrain incontournable. Mélanie, présente aux réunions de préparation et à la balade s’exprime sur le partenariat avec la Région des Pays de la Loire : “Pour nous, il était important de pouvoir discuter en amont du projet et de construire progressivement le contenu de la balade”.

    En conclusion, le projet a réussi à lier passé et avenir en faisant directement appel à la participation des habitants, des acteurs de proximité et de l’exploitant du réseau régional. Le récit théâtralisé des conteuses a joué un rôle de “passeur” qui s’adaptait concrètement à l’identité socio-culturelle du quartier Penhoët.

  • Another Riviera Line station set to go green

    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!

  • Venez Goûter ! Animation par la Région des Pays de la Loire

    Venez Goûter ! Animation par la Région des Pays de la Loire

    La Région des Pays de la Loire a invité les usagers de la gare de Penhoët à un goûter gratuit pour redécouvrir leur gare.

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    Le lycée des métiers Sainte-Anne à Saint-Nazaire a réalisé des spécialités de viennoiseries européennes à déguster sur place. Environ 150 usagers ont discuté la rénovation de la gare en présence de SNCF TER et de la Région – un grand succès.

    Le goûter sera suivi par deux évenements avec un conteur :

    • Le 18 avril 2015 : le Voyage imaginaire
    Les enfants de la Maison de quartier Méan-Penhoët prendront le train à la gare de Penhoët avec un conteur : direction Nantes pour une visite d’un centre technique ferroviaire. À bord du TER, les enfants dessineront sur le thème du Voyage imaginaire. Leurs dessins seront exposés sur la passerelle de la gare pendant les travaux.
    Informations : Maison de Quartier Méan-Penhoët 02 40 66 04 50

    • Le dimanche 7 juin 2015 à 10h : Laissez-vous conter !
    Visite gratuite avec un conteur à travers les « Chemins de Brouette » du quartier et des abords de la gare de Penhoët.
    Inscription : l’Atelier de Saint-Nazaire 02 40 66 63 62

  • Rail volunteers are local TV stars again

    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:

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    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.