Greater Anglia has announced plans to provide additional and substantial financial support for the region’s Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) through a new investment of £125k to support the work of the CRPs as part of the train operator’s current franchise term.
 

£50k will be invested immediately to provide extra support this year for the work of the partnerships which include the Essex & South Suffolk, East Suffolk Line, Bittern Line and Wherry Lines CRPs. As well as the established partnerships, Greater Anglia is also preparing for the launch of a new Fenland CRP by local stakeholders in Cambridgeshire this summer embracing the Ely to Peterborough route.
 

Greater Anglia is strongly committed to the concept of rail partnerships and positive co-operation with local stakeholders as a means of improving the marketing and awareness of local rail services, and helping to develop those services for the benefit of the communities they serve, whilst boosting tourism and contributing to the local economy. 

 
Ruud Haket, Managing Director, Greater Anglia said: “This new investment for Community Rail Partnerships is a tremendous vote of confidence by Greater Anglia in the community rail network across the region we serve. We are keen to work with our local partners to continue to increase demand for rail travel in these areas and to play our part in boosting the local economy.”
 

Greater Anglia is also increasing the support it provides for its network of station adopters as part of this package, with many adopters also working in partnership with their local CRPs.

The Essex & South Suffolk CRP embraces 5 routes: Harwich to Manningtree, Wickford to Southminster, Marks Tey to Sudbury, Braintree to Witham and Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea & Walton-on-the-Naze. The East Suffolk Line covers the Ipswich to Lowestoft and Ipswich to Felixstowe lines. The Bittern Line is for the Norwich to Sheringham route, and the Wherry Lines covers Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Norwich to Lowestoft.