News from the Community Rail Network

Rail reform has entered a decisive phase, with West Midlands Trains transferred into public ownership on 1 February, bringing the number of publicly run operators in England to eight.

The Railways Bill is now in detailed scrutiny stage, with MPs examining how the new rail structure will operate, and raising questions around whether the Bill goes far enough in achieving genuine integration and public ownership.

Discussions are ramping up on the design of Great British Railways (GBR) and the 30-year Long Term Rail Strategy (LTRS). The latter aims to bring long-term clarity over the development and strategic aims of the railway, guiding decision-making based on five objectives, which have been set. We are already engaging in discussions on how community rail’s role might be further strengthened aligning with these objectives, and working hard to understand the opportunities for community rail’s insights to be heard and used through the changes ahead.

Our congratulations go to Richard George and Sir Andrew Haines, who have been appointed chairs of Network Rail and DFTO (the DfT’s owning group for train operators under public control) respectively. They will play a key role in overseeing the public ownership transition, and we look forward to continuing to work with them.

At Community Rail Network we have also been progressing our strategic review and planning for 2026-27. Last week we held a full team development day, to reflect on the emerging long-term strategic objectives from the review, discuss priorities for 2026-27, and ensure our plans are rooted in the needs and aspirations of members. Our new strategic objectives are expected to be agreed by our Board in a fortnight, so we’ll provide a fuller update in the next bulletin.

Best wishes,
Jeremy and Jools

Travelling with Confidence – project update and grant funds
Our Travelling with Confidence project, grant-funded by the Motability Foundation, has achieved significant success in its first year, empowering more than 700 disabled people to develop confidence, skills and resilience for planning and making trips by rail and connected modes. Read more here.

As part of the programme, we offer support and grants from £2k-£10k to accredited CRPs to set up similar, smaller-scale initiatives. Contact Ellen for more information and to apply.

Job vacancy
We’re seeking an experienced individual to help us deliver a productive, empowering, needs-orientated programme of training and development for community rail partnerships and station groups. View the job description and person specification here. Apply via Charity Job by 23:59 on Sunday 8 February.

Tourism and leisure
Members are encouraged to get involved with our upcoming tourism and leisure campaign, Accessible Adventures, 9–22 February. Download the digital toolkit here and speak to Alice about using the campaign to shine a light on inclusive, accessible days out by rail.

Join the next Community Rail Tourism Network on Tuesday 10 February, 10-11.30am, to hear from guest speakers Window Seater about how they create place-based audio experiences that enhance journeys and bring local stories to life. Email Alice to attend.

Education and youth engagement
Members are invited to join the Community Rail Education Network on Wednesday 18 February, 10-11am. It will focus on how community rail partnerships and station groups can deliver ‘theme train’ events, such as seaside specials, music and arts and craft trains. Email Karen to attend.

Awards sponsorship opportunities
Is your company looking to align with the values and impact of community rail? If so, you could be the headline sponsor for the 2027 Community Rail Awards. With an expected 500+ attendees and visibility across digital channels and national media, it’s a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to community-led action. Check out our sponsorship pack here and contact Tiff for a chat.

Your next bulletin is on 18 February. Keep up-to-date in between on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky and X.

Steven Booth, Purbeck CRP officer, said: “This story is largely forgotten, and we wanted to bring this alive and make local people and visitors aware of these historic rail links with Wool Station and Bovington Army Camp.”