Stations
Making connections Station friends groups comprise groups of volunteers who come together to enhance their local railway station, to make it a more integral part of community life, and to make stations useful, welcoming and productive hubs. Jools added: “CRPs come in varying shapes and sizes as it really depends what is right for the local area. So there is a range of different set-ups but part of our reason for being here is to support the development of new groups and partnerships and to link groups and partnerships together. One very important aspect is sharing knowledge and good practice across the movement. “Stations are a critical part of community rail. It is all about making stations welcoming and pleasant, and recognising they are integral to community life.
Greater Manchester’s Heaton Chapel Station’s Running Man mural is a collaboration between Heaton Chapel Station Friends and local artist Karen Allerton
Cheshire’s Friends of Goostrey Station celebrate success at Cheshire’s Best Kept Stations Awards
“Stations are vital local centres of social and economic activity. We would encourage everyone in rail to think holistically about stations and the way they are connected to their surroundings, the way local people are able to use them, appreciate them and get value from them, the way the empty spaces could be used, and the way stations can integrate with other modes of transport.
Photo: Friends of Goostrey Station
Jools said: “We enjoy great support from the rail industry. There is still lots of scope to work with other businesses and organisations and to do more work with the supply chain so we’d be keen to talk to businesses and explore the possibilities of working together. A lot of the growth seen in the increasing numbers of CRPs is down to the support from industry, coupled with enthusiasm within communities for engaging with rail.” In addition to the 74 CRPs, there are more than 1,000 station friends groups and, together, they work with rail partners to build understanding of local needs and enable more people to travel by rail. CRPs are, typically, small community-based organisations with one or two staff members, who report to a partnership board. In some cases, new CRPs are nurtured and developed by train operating companies and local authorities, with support and advice from Community Rail Network, to spread community rail to new areas. They can be hosted by local councils, universities, social enterprises or charities, or set up as independent community interest companies.
“There are a lot of disused or underused spaces in stations and we’ve seen more and more projects led by communities returning these spaces to all sorts of community uses. Community-run cafés, meeting spaces, active travel hubs, arts projects, community gardening: all sorts of wonderful approaches can be taken in order to put the community stamp on a station.
ENGINEERING • CONSULTANCY • DESIGN Kilborn Consulting Limited is an independent railway engineering consultancy and design business. We specialise in the design of railway signalling, control systems, level crossings and telecommunication systems for the UK and Ireland railway infrastructure. Our core services cover technical advice, consultancy services, feasibility studies and concept, outline (AiP) and detailed design (AfC) of both signalling and telecommunication systems. We can provide all Signal Sighting activities and signalling risk assessments, including SORA and Suitable and Sufficient Risk Assessments for Level Crossings. We also provide EMC and E&B studies to complement our core services. We very much look forward to working with you.
Tel: +44 (0)1933 279909 Email: pmcsharry@kilbornconsulting.co.uk Visit: www.kilbornconsulting.co.uk
railbusinessdaily.com
April 2021 | 47