Community Rail Development endorsements

"The ghost of Beeching is finally laid to rest. Rail plays a vital part in connecting and serving local communities and we need to build on the successes of community rail partnerships in achieving real change and improvements at a local level. We particularly welcome innovations to boost the capacity of rural routes and the recognition that accessible stations can form the hub of an integrated transport network."
Anthony Smith, National Director of the Rail Passenger Council

"Rural railways have been the Cinderella for too long. With innovative approaches and through building local partnerships rural branch lines can be re-vitalised to better serve their communities. This strategy is long overdue and will help guide the assessment and realisation of the potential contribution that many of our rural railways can make to improving rural accessibility."
David Begg, Chair, Commission for Integrated Transport

"We warmly welcome this initiative and general approach and feel this could have very constructive influence on local and regional railways."
David Walford, Rail Development Officer, Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership

"Establishing a strong relationship between the railway and the community it serves is vital if lesser used lines are to fulfil their true potential in the local transport network.

This strategy gives the promoters and supporters of local railways much needed guidance for their development. I hope it will encourage the railway industry and its stakeholders to identify innovative solutions to some of the difficult problems that currently hamper progress.

Hertfordshire County Council fully endorses the strategy and looks forward to a successful application of new community railways principles to the Abbey Line Pilot Project."
Councillor Derrick Ashley, Executive Member for Environment, Hertfordshire County Council

"The operation and management of community based lines such as the Heart of Wales has for many years, and of necessity, been short termist and opportunistic: often seen as peripheral to mainstream public transport activity.

We welcome this Strategy as providing us with a sound platform on which we can build our own strategy for bringing local communities and businesses back to the railway, to the advantage of all concerned.

Sustainability, Accessibility and Tourism are all key to the future success of rural Wales, and this Strategy will help us use our line to address all of these issues - and more."
Heart of Wales Forum and Heart of Wales Line Travellers Association

"Community railways are an important part of the railway, driving tourism and providing a vital link for local people and businesses.

This strategy is a positive step forward. It provides a clear and durable template for maintaining and enhancing the quality of community railways while ensuring a firm but fair grip on costs.

Train operators will welcome the commitment to maintaining these lines and also the proposed removal of the regulatory cap in fares which will allow more innovative marketing to attract more custom onto sometimes under-used services."
George Muir, Director-General Association of Train Operating Companies

"I am very pleased to support this new Community Rail Development Strategy. I am particularly pleased to see its support for the development of lines in rural areas and the vital link it makes between rail transport and tourism. This is probably the first national transport strategy to place emphasis on the importance of tourism to rail transport. As the chairman of the SRA states, some of these are sleeping beauty lines and they can be developed to the benefit of local economies and particularly the local tourism economies. The Lancaster-Morecambe-Leeds Railway Partnership, for example, builds on transport to traditional tourism destinations and wants to see increased growth in passenger numbers on the line as an attractive way of crossing outstanding Dale's scenery."

Jim Trotman, Principal Tourism Officer, Lancaster City Council, Member of Lancaster-Morecambe-Leeds Railway Partnership and Director of ACoRP .

"The Strategy provides a framework to take forward the positive development of local and rural railways. It represents a vitally important landmark for Britain's Railways and for local communities. We wholly endorse the Strategy and will work positively with the Government, SRA and industry to implement it."
Paul Salveson, General Manager, Association of Community Rail Partnerships

"It is easy to say the government has recognised the role of community rail in the challenging business world in which the rail industry operates. However, this document demonstrates that a broad, well-reasoned and flexible framework can be set up in which varied and appropriate solutions can be found for rural railway (and transport) regeneration. Solutions that can suit the communities, local economy and rail industry equally, and provide a positive basis for successful partnership working to help maintain these vital transport links. The strategy shows that the SRA has listened to consultation responses and acted accordingly."
Peter Chegwidden, Kent Community Rail Partnership Officer

"The Community Rail Development Strategy represents a major, very welcome opportunity for the rural railways of Devon and Cornwall and the communities they serve. We are pleased that three local branch lines have been designated as pilots for the Strategy and very much look forward to working with the SRA and the rail industry to put the Strategy into action."
Richard Burningham, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership