Michael Parker-Bray
Gastropubs along the Avocet Line from Exeter to Exmouth are offering discounts to diners who travel there by train. We have arranged this promotion to encourage diners to leave the car at home and take the train for a trip out to a well-rated gastropub. Read more
Our programme of taster rail trips to introduce young people to travelling by train has got off to a great start in 2016.
This week, Paignton’s Oldway School enjoyed a trip on the Riviera Line with Celia Minoughan of the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. Read more
Mark Hopwood, MD of Great Western Railway (GWR), will be giving a lecture at Plymouth University next month.
In the wake of weather-related service disruptions and questions over its long-term resilience, now is a critical time for the railway in the far South West. Read more
CASE STUDY | We were lead partner in the EU Citizens’ Rail project, which ran from 2012 to 2015. The project worked in five regions in North West Europe to put into practice the ‘community rail’ approach developed in the UK over the past 20 years.
The Tarka Rail Association has gained some excellent coverage in the North Devon Journal, celebrating the continuing growth of passenger numbers on the Tarka Line (Exeter-Barnstaple).
Read the full article on the North Devon Journal website, or read more about the Partnership’s work with the Tarka Rail Association to develop the line over many years. Read more
Celia Minoughan, Project Officer at the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, is working on a promotion project for the Avocet Line (Exeter-Exmouth) in partnership with the Avocet Line Rail Users Group (ALRUG). Since mid-November Celia has promoted leisure travel on the Avocet Line during off-peak hours, for Christmas shopping and events, walking from the railway and dining by train. Read more
The Looe Valley Line, the scenic branch line which links Looe and Liskeard, will see Sunday trains from Easter Sunday next year, 27 March, almost two months earlier than before.
With the earlier extension of the Sunday service to the end of October, this means that in 2016, the Looe Valley Line will have more trains on more Sundays than at any time for decades. Read more
CASE STUDY | As part of our EU Citizens’ Rail project, we worked with the Friends of Exeter St Thomas Station and a range of partner organisations to develop an Eco Garden to enhance the station.
Our award-winning Munchtime Express project goes from strength to strength, with this year’s events fully booked a week before the programme has even begun. The project sees local restaurants serving up taster lunches on the Looe Valley Line to drum up new business and encourage more people to take the train at a quiet time of year. Read more
Three of the Partnership’s projects have been recognised at a national level at the 2015 Community Rail Awards, held at Torquay’s Riviera International Centre.
In front of an audience of more than 330 rail industry staff and volunteers, the Partnership’s Great Scenic Railways won first prize in the Marketing category. Read more
CASE STUDY | Great Scenic Railways is the Partnership’s tourism-focused website, promoting the branch lines to more than 75,000 tourists and local day trippers each year.
CASE STUDY | As part of our EU Citizens’ Rail project, the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership created a “Minibeast Trail” on The Riviera Line (Exeter-Paignton) to encourage young families to try the train.
CASE STUDY | We joined forces with the Campaign for Real Ale to encourage pub goers in Exeter and South Devon to travel by train, using beer mats bearing the message ‘Get here on the Riviera Line’.
CASE STUDY | We've worked with Visit Cornwall, the National Trust and other regional partners to tap into popular culture with our "Visit Poldark country by train" campaign.
CASE STUDY | A half-price offer agreed with Great Western Railway (GWR) and promoted by the Partnership led to a 37% increase in people visiting Barnstaple during the off-season.
CASE STUDY | Through our EU Citizens’ Rail project, we have participated in a pair of international student masterclasses to generate new ideas for the rail industry.
CASE STUDY | Our promotion with Great Western Railway (GWR) that allows children accompanied by an adult to travel free if they bring a teddy bear with them on their journey (during specified periods only).
A website developed by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership as part of its EU Citizens’ Rail project has won a second national award in as many months.
After receiving first prize in the Innovation category at the UK Community Rail Awards in October, TheRivieraLine.com Read more
CASE STUDY | The Love Looe campaign brought together local tourism businesses to raise the profile of Looe, following negative coverage of the area in 2012/2013 due to flooding, road closures and landslides.
Richard Burningham, Manager of the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, has written an opinion piece in the North Devon Journal to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Tarka Line.
The article looks back on an era of great concern for the line’s very future in the 1980s. Read more