20 Years of Community Rail Awards!

We are delighted to announce that our 20^th anniversary Community Rail Awards will take place on Thursday 13 March 2025, at Newcastle Civic Centre, closely supported by our headline partner Lumo, and other industry sponsors.

Highly respected throughout the industry, our prestigious Awards are all about celebrating the passion, commitment, innovation, and best practice in community rail, recognising the volunteers, groups and partnerships doing wonderful work on behalf of their communities and railways. They give community rail the chance to shine, showcasing the array of work happening across Britain, and showing influencers and decision makers what community rail achieves.

This milestone Awards will also align with the celebrations of Railway 200.

Shortlist Announced!

See our 2025 shortlist here!

Vote for your favourite in our Photography Competition!

Fringe Activities – bringing added value to your Awards experience. You may want to book a few days in the region!

Headline Partners Welcome Reception

Our headline partners Lumo will be hosting a ‘Pre-Awards Welcome Reception’ on Wednesday 12 March, for any Awards guests arriving early in Newcastle! Click here for more information and to book your place.

Alongside our Awards gala event, there will be opportunities to visit many heritage, railway and cultural attractions and places of interest

The regional CRPs, Tyne Valley CRP, Bishop Line CRP, and Esk Valley Railway, will be showcasing community rail in the North-East.  This is a great chance for UK-wide colleagues to see first-hand, the wonderful work our north-eastern CRPs do supporting their communities and their railway.

Find out more HERE about the added value supporting ‘Fringe Activities’ on offer, and to find out how to book your place on the exciting launch event of the community rail album ‘Passengers & Pioneers’ 

Important travel information

Please note the following: Between 0300 on Saturday 15th March and 0445 on Monday 17th March there will be no trains servicing Darlington Station, there will also be line blocks in place on the East Coast Mainline between Darlington and Newcastle, during those times a rail replacement will be in operation. Please consider this when planning your extended stay in the Northeast. It may be better to stay longer or choose a different route! If returning to the south you can use Northern from Newcastle to Sunderland, then use Grand Central Sunderland to London. Newcastle to Carlise services to the West Coast Mainline will not be affected.

Milestone Dates for your diary:

• Gala Dinner Bookings OPEN – Monday 2 September. Download a booking form HERE
• Entries CLOSE – Monday 30 September
• Shortlist published – Weds 11 December – live on website,  announced in Community Rail News and emailed to all shortlistees
• Gala Dinner Booking CLOSE – Friday 14 February

Attendance Subsidy Fund

We are very grateful to our Sponsors and Donors, whose support enables us to once again offer an Attendance Subsidy for community rail shortlistees, to help them attend the event in Newcastle (please note the fund is limited and awarded to shortlisted entrants only, on a first-come-first-served basis)

Complimentary Rail Travel

We’re  incredibly grateful that Rail Delivery Group is once again providing support, in the form of complimentary return rail passes for member shortlistees to travel to Newcastle.

After the shortlist is published on 11 December, all shortlistees will be provided with application forms for the Attendance Subsidy Fund and the complimentary rail tickets.