It was Chris Austin, of the then Strategic Rail Authority, who dreamt up the concept of Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs).
With great fanfare and the full blessing of Beau Bowker he set about attempting to secure the future of many marginal railways, whilst cynics carped on the sidelines claiming it was mere PR piss-and-wind.
We cynics have been proven wrong.
The CRPs have delivered real improvements, not just by working with TOCs to improve service frequency but more importantly by making small incremental upgrades to passenger facilities; with the result that over recent years most CRP lines have seen enormous growth in passenger loadings.
As this extract from a memo from the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) confirms:
(TOC's name REDACTED) opinion is that, as far as rail travel is concerned, there’s little need to further promote the rural services as the majority are now full and therefore have a future. Any service improvements would require levels of rolling stock or infrastructure investment that would simply not be available or justifiable.
Good news indeed.
The memo makes the point even clearer by saying:
It is (TOC's name REDACTED) opinion however, that some CRPs are turning into lobbying groups (which they are not prepared to support) whilst others have effectively run their course, having succeeded in their aim to secure a future for the line.
So where does this leave the future of Community Rail Partnerships?
ACoRP helpfully suggests...
It’s apparent that in the current situation, CRPs in (REDACTED) are gradually seeing their rail role diminish. This doesn’t mean however that they have no future – they are after all, rooted in the community and should be addressing a multiplicity of other concerns such as access to work, local transport integration, environment, health and regeneration. CRPs might also benefit from looking at other transport modes, such as community and local buses, cycling and even walking.
When Community Rail Partnerships were established the railway was fighting a rear-guard action against the perceived threat of a reduction in the network's size.
Under the aegis of My Lord Adonis there is the real possibility that the network might actually physically expand!
Clearly, however, in these cash constrained times something will have to give.
The message is clear: CRPs broaden your base. User groups redouble your efforts!
UPDATE: This from Branch Line Boy...
I'm not so sure it was Chris Austin who dreamt up the concept of Community Rail Partnerships.
I thought it was Paul Salveson, late of AcoRP, now a big wig in Northern!
The Fact Compiler stands corrected!
UPDATE: Captain Deltic points out:
My Lord Adonis is quite scathing about the poor value for money of even ATOC's modest proposals for line reopenings.
The only way he wants to see the network expanding is through the construction of high speed lines.
See the Grauniad's on-going advertorials all this week (yawn).
Posts
