Community Rail

What is Community Rail?

Community Rail is a growing movement made up of Community Station Partnerships, community rail partnerships, station adoption groups and an army of volunteers across the country.

These groups connect their communities with the railways and play a key role in delivering projects which are designed to help with rail recovery whilst promoting inclusion, diversity, and creativity, as well practical works that bring stations to life.

Volunteers are welcome to participate in community rail and communities help with a wide variety of activities via our ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme that enables individuals or groups to adopt their own local railway stations.

Volunteers work at the stations and great friendships can be made with station staff, other volunteers, and members of the wider community.

At West Midlands Railway, we are committed to getting closer to the communities we serve as this will result in us building a better railway. We are aware that we are custodians of much-cherished national community assets, and we want to work with local people so that stations can reflect the communities that the railway serves.

If you are interested in ‘adopting’ your local station, or would like to know more about establishing a community station partnership in your area, please email [email protected]

For more information re Community Station Partnerships visit www.communitystationpartnership.co.uk

Community Rail Magazine July 2021

View the Community Rail magazine

View the Community Rail Strategy 2022/2023

View the Community Rail Report 2022

Community rail collage

We work with three Community Station Partnerships and two Community Rail Partnerships on our network:

Beyond The Hills Community Station Partnership

Beyond the Hills Community Station Partnership covers two stations Ledbury and Colwall, the volunteer works cover community led station improvements, developing multi-modal travel, organising promotions to increase rail usage and renovating a disused station building at Ledbury to create a Transport & Arts Hub.

The Chase Line Community Station Partnership

The Chase Line comprises five stations and the volunteer works cover station enhancements, works with the industry to tackle ASB, projects to enhance community engagement with the railways and a scheme to install a vintage rail carriage close to Hednesford Station that will operate as a Community Hub.

The Shakespeare Line Community Station Partnership

The Shakespeare Line comprises eighteen stations and over 80 volunteers work at the stations. The works include year-round gardening and arts enhancements, working with British Transport Police to reduce levels of anti-social behaviour and multiple schemes to encourage rail travel to local destinations along the line.

Heart of England Community Rail Partnership

The Heart of England Community Rail Partnership is supported by funding partners from the Rail Industry and the Public Sector and there are two officers engaged in works for stations and communities across the CRP area. The group works to develop economic and social regeneration, increase off peak rail usage and become more involved in improving “the passenger experience” at stations across the CRP network.

Worcestershire CRP

Established in November 2019, the Worcestershire CRP looks after the line and stations across Worcestershire. Launched by an alliance of the local Rail User groups, train operating companies and local councils, the CRP works with partner organisations to increase patronage of the line, promote sustainable travel, enhance station adoption schemes and give local communities the opportunity to become more involved in their railways.

How can you get involved?

We can all help make a difference, if you want to volunteer or know of anyone in your local community, fellow passengers or workmates who would be interested in lending a hand to help make your station a special place to visit, you can email the community team: [email protected]

Adopting a Station

You can also Adopt a Station. To find out more have a read through our Adopt a Station page.

Our news

Catch up on our community teams' recent news.

Thank you!

A big thank you to all our current friends and adopters – why not have a read of our wonderful thank you poem, Pride of Place?

Alternatively, view the hard work our friends and adopters do through our Pride of Place: Community Action online video.