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ENVIRONMENT
Community Rail Network’s Sarah Chilton explains how the grassroots movement is playing an increasingly important role in revitalising environments on and around stations for the benefit of communities and railways alike
Community rail: Transforming station environments and reinvigorating the rail estate
Images: Community Rail Network
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ommunity rail creates both pride in place and pride in the railway, celebrating and strengthening the role of railways and stations in community life. The movement taps into local enthusiasm, stories, histories and culture, bringing people together and building positive relationships with the railways and sustainable travel. There are now 75 community rail partnerships, working along lines, or across counties or regions, to champion the role of railways and deliver activities driven by local needs and contexts. There are also around 1,300 station friends’ groups across the network: volunteer groups bringing local people together with stations as focal points, but whose work tends to reach well beyond station boundaries. There are more than 8,250 volunteers who give
around 380,000 hours of their time to community rail every year, worth £30.9 million in social value to individuals and their communities. This inspiring activity promotes community cohesion and pride, enhances biodiversity and green spaces, and enables healthy outdoor exercise, skills development and new friendships. A key aspect of this activity is making stations welcoming, attractive, enjoyable places that are more than just transport interchanges. In recent years, we have seen the development of more and more ‘community stations,’ whereby community rail partnerships, station groups and other local groups and leaders have spearheaded the transformation of stations for community benefit. Supported by railway partners, many have revitalised under-used, often derelict, railway buildings and land, turning over these spaces to productive community uses.
March 2025
Transforming railway land Community gardening and outdoor activities continue to be a mainstay of the community rail movement, particularly for station friends or adoption groups. Their activities show that even stations with limited or no green areas can still be made greener and used to enhance local environments and wellbeing. Groups are becoming increasingly aware of their potential to benefit wildlife and are honing their activities to deliver biodiversity gain, while simultaneously considering and providing for local needs, such as green spaces that support mental health and wellbeing. We are seeing an increasing number of our members working with rail industry and community partners to create elaborate and bigger station and community gardens, often including platforms, sheds and sidings as well as existing green