Tag: communityengagement-FR

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.

2014/04/04
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
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
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
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
Community ambassadors win EU Rail Congress award

Northern Rail’s Community Ambassadors, part of Citizens’ Rail’s Lancashire project, have triumphed over nine other European entries to win recognition for their Customer Service Excellence at this year’s European Rail Congress Awards.

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The scheme has flourished in the North West, introducing thousands of people in ‘hard to reach’ communities to the opportunities of travelling by rail.

Alex Hynes, Managing Director at Northern Rail comments: “Our ambassadors have dedicated time and energy to offer a new lease of life to these communities and gradually overcome some of the obstacles of train travel. The numbers speak for themselves when we see a 14% rise in rail usage in these areas and it’s an incredibly proud moment to see them gain outstanding recognition for their commitment and value to Northern.”

Richard Watts, Rail Development Team Manager at Lancashire County Council comments: “This is an excellent achievement for the Community Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are an important part of the European funded Citizens’ Rail Interreg IVB project and are showing how to it is possible to engage with hard to reach groups in East Lancashire and Greater Manchester and encourage them to try the train. By breaking down barriers it is possible to transform the lives of many people by helping them take up better paid employment or attend colleges to gain higher qualifications.”

The awards were presented by Rory Bremner at the Westminster Park Plaza in London on Wednesday 13 November 2013.

Caption: Julia Clayton and Simon Abbott from Northern Rail collect the Customer Service Excellence award at the European Rail Congress Awards.

[box close=”false” color=”#636363″ icon=”” ]Find out more
about the Community Ambassadors and our Lancashire project[/box]

2013/11/15
8 out of 10 want to be involved in planning their local station

Students from RWTH Aachen University have uncovered strong public support for a new station at Richterich, with 80% of those surveyed eager to be involved in the project’s planning.

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660 local residents were consulted through face-to-face interviews and online surveys during July 2013. The 10 students asked what level of participation people wanted to have in the new station project, as well as their preferences regarding destinations and the choice between the North and South variants of the plan.

Findings

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] 71% said would use the train (because it would be quicker than the bus and more convenient).

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] 21% said they would not use the station (due to anticipated delays and being satisfied with the existing bus service).

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] 80% wanted to be involved in planning the new station.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] The students found that it is the youngest and oldest residents who rely most heavily on existing public transport in the form of the bus service.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] It is estimated that 1000 passengers would use the new station per day.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] People’s highest priorities for the station’s design are shelter, good bus connections and personal safety.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] Other priorities include greening and noise protection for local residents.

[icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] There is an even split between those wanting a station with modest features but that is quick to realise, and those wanting a more comprehensive station that may take longer to build.

Find out more about the project to develop a new station in Richterich.

2013/08/08