Published on: Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Abellio train operator Greater Anglia, and the Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) with which it works to promote local and community train services in East Anglia, have been short-listed for nine awards at this year's national Community Rail Awards. The awards celebrate outstanding achievement in community rail development. The initiatives and improvements for which Greater Anglia and the East Anglian CRPs have been recognised are as follows:
Involving Young People - Greater Anglia and the Essex and South Suffolk CRP for the "Use your Brain, think Train" project
Best Station Volunteers Project - West Runton Station adopters for West Runton station garden (at the station on the Bittern Line between Norwich and Sheringham)
Innovative Projects at Small Stations - Greater Anglia, The Bittern Line CRP, Norfolk County Council and North Norfolk District Council for improvements at North Walsham station
Best Innovative Use of IT - Community Rail Norfolk (including the Bittern and Wherry Lines CRPs and Greater Anglia) for the Bittern and Wherry Line App and other initiatives
Best Innovative Use of Traditional Methods in the Promotion of Community Rail - Greater Anglia, East Suffolk CRP and Suffolk County Council, for the launch of the East Suffolk line hourly train service
Outstanding Volunteer Contribution - Brian Jewell, Great Yarmouth Community Trust as part of the Great Yarmouth station Welcome Host project
Outstanding Teamwork Award - East Suffolk Line Development Group (including Greater Anglia, the East Suffolk CRP and Suffolk County Council) for the East Suffolk line station investment plan
Passengers Matter - Greater Anglia, Wherry Lines CRP and the Great Yarmouth Community Trust for the Great Yarmouth station Welcome Host project
Passengers Matter - Greater Anglia, The Bittern Line CRP, Norfolk County Council and North Norfolk District Council for the North Walsham Station Travel Plan project
The impressive list of projects receiving recognition illustrates the proactive and professional approach taken by Greater Anglia and the CRPs across the region to promoting local lines to the benefit of passengers and the communities they serve. The projects reaching the short-lists cover a range of award categories from volunteering initiatives (improving station presentation and assisting passengers) to station upgrade and improvement schemes, marketing and promotion (including the innovative use of IT) and community involvement. They are also spread across a number of Community Rail lines in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
The award winners and commended initiatives will be announced at the annual Community Rail Awards event which will be held in Llandudno on Friday 27 September.
Commenting on the success of Greater Anglia and the East Anglian CRPs in achieving so many short-listed entries, Jonathan Denby, Head of Corporate Affairs for Greater Anglia said:
"We're pleased that our positive work with CRPs across our network, to promote and improve local lines for the customers and communities they serve, has led to a number of our initiatives being short-listed for the Community Rail Awards. From the start of our franchise we made a real commitment to our Community Rail lines - doubling train operator funding for the CRPs in East Anglia and investing time and resources into working closely with them to encourage more people to use the train - as well as optimising the role of rail services and stations in supporting local communities and the local economy. It's great to see this partnership approach and the efforts of many people in Greater Anglia, the CRPs and local councils, plus some outstanding volunteers, receiving national recognition. We'll continue to work together to develop community rail lines."