Published on: Tuesday, 20 June 2017
Last updated: Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Greater Anglia is doubling the amount of money it invests in supporting communities along rural branch lines.
The operator is to invest £240,000 per year in nine Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire to help them continue to benefit the communities that the railway lines run through.
The additional money will be used to help promote and develop services, support economic growth and tourism, help provide better access to education and employment, help with local regeneration and facilitate improvements to stations, by working closely with the communities along the lines.
Ring-fenced funding will help support local business development along the lines and support a ‘Journeys to Jobs’ scheme which will offer travel grants to those seeking employment.
There is also further additional funding for improvements to integrated transport and the development of station travel plans which will research the needs of those accessing stations and then seek to address some of the priorities identified by improving facilities for passengers arriving at the station, whether by bus, bicycle, on foot or by car.
Over the course of the franchise this will amount to an additional £1.1 million investment in Community Rail Partnerships.
Greater Anglia’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Jonathan Denby, said, “We are delighted to be able to more than double our investment in Community Rail Partnerships to enable them to help us further develop rail services and stations in line with the priorities of local communities. By working even more closely with those who live and work along our rural branch lines we can bring about improvements and initiatives which will have a positive effect for residents and visitors alike, as well as promoting rail travel to the benefit of the region.”
Greater Anglia also plans to consult on the creation of four additional Community Rail Partnerships in the region - on the Ipswich – Cambridge, Ely – Norwich, Broxbourne – Hertford East and Wickford – Southend Victoria lines.