Community rail is engaging 125,000 people annually in a huge array of activities worth £129million in social value to communities across Britain, new research has found.

The grassroots movement is playing a key role in putting local railways and stations at the heart of inclusive, empowered, sustainable and healthy communities, and from funding of just over £7.2million, is producing a social return on investment of £17.89 per £1 spent.

Community rail helps communities derive value from their local railways and stations. It delivers far-reaching and life-changing benefits around increasing access to opportunity, building social inclusion and connectedness, promoting sustainable travel and tourism, enhancing health and wellbeing, and stimulating local economic development.

The ‘value of community rail’, produced by Community Rail Network and supported by Rail Delivery Group, showcases the work of 75 community rail partnerships (CRPs), a diverse mix of locally based community organisations, which now span more than a third (35%) of Britain’s rail network, and nearly 1,300 station groups, now covering half of Britain’s 2,500-plus stations.

The report finds that:

• Of the 125,000 people engaged, a significant proportion are children and young people, with an estimated 65,000 involved annually in education and youth engagement projects worth £45million in social value, via partnership working with 2,000 schools, colleges and youth groups;

• Community rail engages around 12,000 people per year in activities to increase travel confidence and make rail more accessible and inclusive, worth £16.4million in social value;

• More than 8,250 volunteers give around 380,000 hours of their time to community rail every year, worth £30.9million in social value to individuals and their communities;

• Passenger journeys on a significant sample of lines with community rail partnerships recovered faster from the pandemic, standing at 89% of pre-COVID levels at the end of 2023-24, compared to an average of 83% across the network (excluding the Elizabeth Line).

Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “Given the demonstrable value community rail provides, it is ideally placed to play a vital role in the new government’s vision of a transformed, passenger-focused, inclusive railway that is responsive to local needs, and building greener, more integrated transport networks to promote social mobility and tackle inequality.

“This report makes a clear case for the ongoing support of the movement, by way of empowering collaboration, funding support and political buy-in, from the rail sector, government and wider partners, to allow it to further develop and thrive through the period of rail reform and into the future.”

The research explores how community rail is adding value to each of the four pillars of the Department for Transport’s Community Rail Development Strategy, by providing a voice for communities on rail and transport development, promoting sustainable, healthy and accessible travel, bringing communities together and supporting diversity and inclusion, and supporting social and economic development.

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive officer of Rail Delivery Group, said: “Rail does more than simply transport us from A to B. By carrying over three million people on average every day, it plays an essential role in connecting communities, driving economic growth, and contributing to a more sustainable future.

“This report shows the difference that the railways can make to the communities they serve. It shows the many inspiring ways that train companies have worked with their local community rail partners to make rail more accessible and inclusive and deliver real value to their local economy.

“Together, we have the opportunity to build a more inclusive, sustainable, and customer-focused rail network and I am excited to continue our partnership with the Community Rail Network.”

The report was launched at Coventry Station with support from Heart of England CRP, whose community engagement arts project at Rugby Station is one of more than 30 featured examples demonstrating how community rail delivers social, environmental and economic value for and with communities.

The event was attended by representatives from Community Rail Network, Rail Delivery Group, and the Department for Transport, plus Mary Creagh, Labour MP for Coventry East and Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. During a tour of the station, attendees learnt of local community rail activity including Heart of England’s partnership with the Life Path Trust, a local charity supporting people with learning disabilities and autism who are the volunteer station adoption group at Coventry.

Ms Creagh MP said: “It was an absolute pleasure to meet volunteers and staff at the Heart of England Community Rail Partnership and see their projects at the station. It is wonderful to see the community rail volunteers making Coventry Station an inclusive and welcoming gateway to our city.”

The ‘value of community rail’ report can be accessed via the Community Rail Network website, here.