Michael Parker-Bray

Double shortlisted for Community Rail Awards

7th September 2021
Community Rail Awards 2021
Two of our projects have been shortlisted for the 2021 Community Rail Awards. Our joint communications and marketing work with Great Western Railway, Network Rail and other partners to promote the upcoming re-opening of the Dartmoor Line (Exeter-Crediton-Okehampton) has been shortlisted in the Best Communications category. Read more

Social Media and Content Officer

6th May 2021
Train on Calstock Viaduct
We’re pleased to be recruiting for an exciting new role at the Partnership: Social Media and Content Officer. The successful candidate will work with us to deliver high quality travel/tourism content. Creating eye-catching and informative blog posts, photos, videos and campaigns, they will inspire even more people to travel on the local rail network.  Read more

New report out today: 600 community rail volunteers and seven local partnerships poised to play a key role in South West’s recovery

31st March 2021
Community Rail in the South West report cover
Members of a growing grassroots rail movement – including in Devon and Cornwall – have continued to strive for communities across the South West and work towards a greener transport future, despite the pandemic, and are looking forward to supporting local recovery. Read more

It’s official – Dartmoor Line to reopen!

19th March 2021
GWR train at Okehampton station
Fantastic news – communities and passengers are to benefit from the reopening of the railway between Okehampton and Exeter as a result of the Government’s ‘Restoring your Railway’ initiative. Following confirmation of government funding, services are expected to restart later this year on the 14-mile stretch of railway – known as the Dartmoor Line – for the first time in almost 50 years, providing a regular, daily passenger rail service between Okehampton and Exeter. Read more

St Ives Bay Line art competition – shortlists and winners

19th February 2021
Collage of shortlisted entries in St Ives Bay Line art competition
An amazing 75 sketches were submitted by professionals and hobbyists alike in our competition to design Direction of Travel signs for Lelant and Carbis Bay stations. These are the shortlisted entries. Keep scrolling to see who won! A huge thanks to everyone who took part and to our team of judges. Read more

Rail-mad Swedish family re-creates memories of Looe Valley Line at home

18th December 2020
swedish-family-loves-looe-valley-line
A Swedish family who love the Looe Valley Line in Cornwall have come up with a unique Covid-safe way of remembering the area from their home in Sweden. Dad Knut Hauge contacted Gill Bridges from the Polraen Country House Hotel in Sandplace requesting a copy of the hotel’s breakfast menu so he could surprise his wife Hanne and two sons, Simen and Ola, with a traditional English breakfast at home. Read more

What do the new national restrictions mean for travel?

5th November 2020
St Ives Bay Line by WestBahnFilms
St Ives Bay Line by WestBahnFilms Train services are unchanged and continue running as we enter the new national restrictions, but there are new rules about travel. Here’s a quick explainer: You can travel for the following reasons (taken from Gov.uk Read more

The Tarka Line’s best ever service – or is it?

8th April 2020
The Exeter – Barnstaple Tarka Line now has the best service of its entire 165 year existence and in this post I’m going to take you back to show why that is true. First off, what does “Best ever” mean here?  Read more

The GWR timetable change – what does it mean for you?

11th December 2019
GWR train at St Germans in Cornwall - photo by Antony Christie
The GWR timetable change – what does it mean for you? This Sunday (15 Dec 2019) sees the biggest timetable change on the Great Western Railway network since 1976. Journey times will change, with more frequent trains and more seats. Find out what it means for you with our quick summary below. Read more

Plymouth’s rail partnership and tech whizzes team up to win national award

10th October 2019
Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership staff pose with Elixel's Gavin Jones
A high tech heritage project born in Plymouth has picked up a national award. The Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, based at the University of Plymouth, teamed up with city digital agency Elixel to encourage more visitors to explore the branch line in South East Cornwall between Liskeard and Looe. Read more

South East Cornwall rail projects scoop national awards

9th October 2019
Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership team receive 1st place award for Looe Valley Line Heritage Project
A trio of Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership projects in South East Cornwall have been recognised at the national Community Rail Awards. The Looe Valley Line Heritage Project which celebrates the history of the Liskeard to Looe branch line won two awards. Read more

CreativiTea trains

8th October 2019
Poet Sally Crabtree sings with local school children on the Creativitea train
CASE STUDY | Find out about our inter-generational tea parties on the train to explore memories of the railway and bring people together. The project won the "Best Community Engagement" category at the national Community Rail Awards.

Looe Valley Line heritage project

8th October 2019
Historical photo of staff at Looe station - courtesy of The National Archives
CASE STUDY | We worked with the local community to tell the hidden stories of the past 160 years on the Looe Valley Line. We produced video documentaries, a mobile phone app, interpretation boards and more to bring history to life.

Gunnislake tiles project

8th October 2019
New artwork tiles at Gunnislake station - one of the young artists poses with the tile beaering his portrait
CASE STUDY | The Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership worked with the local community to replace damaged and decrepit tiles at Gunnislake with creative and durable new works of art.

Insect friendly rockery installed at Penmere

1st October 2019
The Friends of Penmere Station have installed a new insect friendly rockery at the station thanks to help from the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and funding from the Community Rail Development Fund, a joint initiative of the Department for Transport and ACoRP, the Association of Community Rail Partnerships. Read more

Dartmoor bus between Okehampton and Gunnislake on summer Sundays

17th May 2019
Brentor Church - licensed from Shutterstock
New for 2019, have a summer Sunday day out on Dartmoor thanks to a new bus connecting with trains. Every Sunday until 8 September, the bus will run between Okehampton station and Lydford,  Lydford Gorge, Brentor,  Tavistock and Gunnislake station. It will link in with some Exeter–Okehampton and Gunnislake–Plymouth trains and pass the main entrance to Lydford Gorge. Read more

More seats on Looe trains

9th April 2019
Looe Valley Line train at Terras Bridge
There are more seats on the scenic Looe Valley Line which links Liskeard and Looe.  All trains will now be formed of two coaches throughout the year, instead of a single coach outside of the peak Summer holidays. The two coach trains have all been recently refurbished by train company GWR and have free Wi-Fi, power sockets, space for wheelchairs and buggies and a toilet which has been adapted for use by the disabled. Read more

Celebrating the heritage of the Looe Valley Line

2nd April 2019
Steam train at Looe station with polaroids of participants in Looe Valley Line heritage project
We’re excited to be holding a premiere evening on Friday 26th April to show off the fantastic songs and films created as part of the Looe Valley Line heritage project. It’s a free event, but booking is required on our Eventbrite page: Book tickets The project has been funded by Great Western Railway’s Customer and Communities Improvement Fund and the Designated Community Rail Development Fund, a joint initiative of the Department for Transport and ACoRP, the Association of Community Rail Partnerships. Read more

New national rail promotion for Devon & Cornwall

24th January 2019
Launch of Explore Devon and Cornwall with CrossCountry leaflet at Birmingham New Street
A new national rail promotion of Devon & Cornwall has been launched by the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and CrossCountry. The centrepiece of the promotion is a "Devon & Cornwall – visit by train with CrossCountry" leaflet.

Help for projects in East Devon – the East Devon Line Community Rail Fund

23rd November 2018
Vinyls at Honiton station
If you have an idea for a project at or relating to the East Devon Line or one of its stations, help is available, including money. The East Devon Line is the section of South Western Railway’s Waterloo – Exeter route in Devon and includes Axminster, Honiton, Feniton, Whimple, Cranbrook and Pinhoe stations. Read more