Community Rail Awards 2025 now open for Entries! Click here to read more.

Community Rail News – 6 August 2025

Hello everyone. We hope you are enjoying some summer sunshine in between the stormy weather.

We met with the Department for Transport last week for our quarterly review. With the UK Government’s response to the Railways Bill consultation expected later in the year it’s unlikely there will be any major announcements on the development of Great British Railways before then, however we are working with DfT to dedicate time at our Conference in October for members to discuss the rail reforms.

Simon Lightwood MP confirmed that Great British Railways is expected to be established within 12 months of the Railways Bill receiving Royal Assent – read more. We’ve requested a meeting with the Minister for Local Transport and will keep members informed.

The Transport Select Committee is seeking evidence for its inquiry into joined-up journeys and transport integration. Rob Lowson will coordinate our response – please contact him if you would like to contribute or need support with your own response.

Our new Awards Entry Hub is now live on the website. This page replaces our traditional pdf entry booklet and is the one-stop-shop for everything you need to guide you through the Community Rail Awards entry process. Have an explore of the page and familiarise yourself with all the information ahead of entries opening on Monday 1 September. Please contact the Events team if you have any questions.

We have two in-person training sessions planned for September, which are for Community Rail Network members only:

  • Community engagement – this participative workshop will be held on Wednesday 10 September, 10.30am-3.15pm, in Smethwick, Birmingham, and will explore why and how community rail organisations engage with their local communities. The session will look at community engagement theories and models, and you will have the chance to consider how they could be applied in your local settings. Lunch will be provided, and travel bursaries are available. Book your place.
  • Co-production in community rail activities – this session will be held on Wednesday 24 September, 10am-4pm in central Birmingham, and is being created in response to the needs of the Travelling with Confidence (TwC) programme, and our collective movement towards working in a way which truly empowers the people in our communities. Book your place.

Send your stories to news@communityrail.org.uk and see our guidance on submitting stories.

Your next bulletin is on 20 August. Keep up-to-date in between on Facebook, InstagramLinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky and X.

Best wishes,
Jeremy and Bill



The Friends of Crewkerne Station were delighted to welcome Adam Dance, MP for Yeovil and South Somerset, for a tour of the station in July. The MP was shown the planters, notice board, bug hotels, wild banks and work to restore the windows of the old Water Tower Pumphouse, just some of the ways the volunteers work with Blackmore Vale CRP and South Western Railway to make the station an attractive and inclusive place.

In a Facebook post following the visit, Adam Dance MP said: “A huge thank you to the Friends of Crewkerne Station for showing me around last week. Their care and commitment to keeping the station vibrant, green and welcoming is truly inspiring. I was so impressed, I’ve proudly signed up as their latest member. It’s fantastic to see local volunteers making such a big difference in our community.”
The Friends of Buxton Station (FoBS) recently challenged local community artists to capture the essence of the town’s railway station during one of its busiest times, the bustling Buxton Festival Fringe

Sue Mellor, FoBS secretary who judged the challenge, said: “All the entries were great, with so many varied styles to choose from. I found it too difficult to choose just one winner, so called it a draw! Congratulations to our joint winners Barbara Durham (left) and Ruth James (right) and thank you to everyone who took part.”
The Friends of Motspur Park Station held a community celebration on 12 July to mark the station’s 100th anniversary. Supported by South Western Railway, the busy event featured a talk by Christian Wolmar, ribbon-cutting by the Mayor of Merton and Paul Kohler MP, a picnic in the park and a performance by a local choir. Next door to the station, the West Barnes Library housed an impressive exhibition space displaying historic maps, photographs, railway artefacts and a model railway showing the area and rail network in 1925.