Citizens' Rail

Tag: La Roche-sur-Yon

  • Partner meeting in Pays de la Loire

    Partner meeting in Pays de la Loire

    A huge thank you to our French partners at Région Pays de la Loire for organising an action-packed two-day schedule of Citizens’ Rail site visits and meetings last week.

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    The transnational partner meeting was attended by German, UK and French representatives on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th July. We began by visiting the coastal town of Batz-sur-Mer for an informative question and answer session, hearing first hand about projects at Batz-sur-Mer, Boussay and Ingrandes to find new uses for disused station buildings. This was followed by a site visit to explore the building at Batz-sur-Mer, which will be revamped and re-opened as a base for two charities.

    From Batz-sur-Mer we took the train to Saint-Nazaire, where we held a Citizens’ Rail partner meeting. This included updates about community engagement and station improvements at nearby Penhoët station, and about the successful launch of Burnley Manchester Road station. We then received a tour looking at intermodality in Saint-Nazaire:

    The following day, the partners were excited to travel on the hugely successful Beach Train, a package of additional services and eye-catching marketing that has helped to revitalise a previously struggling line between Bressuire and Les Sables D’Olonne. We were joined by Gilles Bontemps, Pays de la Loire’s Vice-President for Transport (pictured below, right). The trip was accompanied by a commentary about the history of the area, organised by Région Pays de la Loire.

    Upon arrival in Les Sables D’Olonne, we held a meeting in a room with a fantastic view of the beach. Partners from each country gave updates on their projects, and the group discussed research by Région Pays de la Loire about how to encourage more schools to undertake class trips by train.

  • Cycle parking installed at rural French stations

    Cycle parking installed at rural French stations

    Region Pays de la Loire is working to revitalise rural stations and enhance the La Roche – Bressuire line as part of Citizens’ Rail. The latest step is the installation of bicycle parking at a number of stations.

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    Bicycle parking bays have now been installed at Boussay (part of the rural stations project), and at La Mothe-Achard and Olonne-sur-Mer on the La Roche – Bressuire line.

    A further seven stations will soon also be equipped with the new facilities. Watch them in action:




  • European breakfast on the beach train

    European breakfast on the beach train

    Passengers were treated to European breakfast snacks on the Citizens’ Rail “beach train” this weekend. The breakfast was held to celebrate the role of the EU Interreg IVB programme in making the service possible.

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    The award-winning beach train provides weekend services on the La Roche Bressuire line, offering great value days out to the coast in Pays de la Loire. The project, backed by a fantastic marketing campaign, has helped to attract thousands of new passengers to what was previously a struggling line.

    The European breakfast giveaway was inspired by a similar exercise to celebrate the launch of extra services on The Riviera Line in Devon. Passengers between Paignton and Newton Abbot enjoyed snacks representing Citizens’ Rail’s French, Dutch and German involvement. This included pains aux raisins, Dutch waffles and Printen from Aachen.

    The two breakfast events are an example of the way that partners in Citizens’ Rail are learning from each other and collaborating to develop local and regional railways.


  • “Beach train” project wins national award

    “Beach train” project wins national award

    Citizens’ Rail’s “Beach train” project has won an award at a ceremony recognising the best regional transport projects in France.

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    The summer weekend service was introduced by Citizens’ Rail partner Pays de la Loire on the previously struggling La Roche-sur-Yon line in July 2013.

    Supported by a fantastic marketing campaign, the train was a huge success – with more than 5,300 extra journeys made, and an average ridership of 171 people per train, rising to 359 people on the busiest service. Passengers gave an overwhelming thumbs up to the service, with satisfaction ratings hitting 90% and the only grumble being overcrowding – and this on a line which is sometimes practically deserted.

    The beach train is now back for an extended season in 2014 (1st May to 28 September), helping to take a line blighted by having too few trains and even fewer passengers and transforming it into a thriving resource that boosts tourism and the economy.

    The project won the “Passenger service” category at the national Grand Prix des Régions awards held by French transport sector magazine Ville, Rail & Transports.

    The awards, now in their fourth year, recognise the country’s very best regional transport projects. The “Passenger service” category recognises new services benefiting TER passengers. The award was presented to Gilles Bontemps, Pays de la Loire’s Vice-President for Transport, on 13th May 2014.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] Read more about the winners of each category on the Ville, Rail & Transports website

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] Read more about Pays de la Loire’s work within Citizens’ Rail


  • The Beach Train is back!

    The Beach Train is back!

    One of the most successful campaigns within Citizens’ Rail returns to France this summer, after attracting thousands of new passengers last year.

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    Following the success of the “beach train” in 2013 between Saumur, La Roche-sur-Yon and Les Sables d’Olonne, Citizens’ Rail’s French partner Pays de la Loire, working alongside la Région Poitou-Charentes, is bringing the concept back this year for an extended season, from 1st May to 28th September (last year the train ran from 7th July to 25th August). Pays de la Loire is also launching a second beach train (outside of Citizens’ Rail) from Mans to le Croisic.

    Last summer’s Les Sables-d’Olonne beach train (route shown below) was a huge success with more than 5,300 extra journeys made, and an average ridership of 171 people per train – rising to 359 people on the busiest service. Demand was such that capacity had to be expanded during the campaign. All of the stations and halts along the line saw impressive numbers – with the majority of passengers boarding at Saumur, Thouars and Bressuire. Halts such as Cerizay were the busiest they have been for several years.

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] Read more about Pays de la Loire’s work within Citizens’ Rail (in English).

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] Read Pays de la Loire’s full beach train press release (in French).

    [icon size=”14px” color=”#D42053″ background=”#ffffff” radius=”0px” type=”icon-chevron-sign-right” spacing=”0px” /] Visit the beach train website (in French).





  • 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.