Partnership-wide news
We’re pleased to have received Community Rail Accreditation for 2026/27. Our latest infographic highlights some of the projects, partnerships and achievements that helped us reach this milestone.
A huge thank you to everyone who has played a part in our success. Read more
To celebrate a busy summer of filming to promote rail travel across Devon and Cornwall, we’ve produced a Spotify Wrapped style video.
Our team produced 15 video guides, all filmed in-house, between mid-May and mid-August. Alongside associated photo galleries and short video clips the films reached 900,000 people on our Facebook, Instagram and TikTok social media channels. Read more
A long time stalwart of Devon and Cornwall’s branch lines has retired after 28 years.
Richard Burningham MBE (pictured – photo by Sim Harris/Railnews) started as Manager of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, based at the University of Plymouth, in April 1998, working with his small team to promote use of the branch lines and the places they serve, improve train services and station facilities and to link the community and the railway. Read more
We were pleased to be awarded 1st place in the Tourism & Leisure category and 2nd place in the Best Community Engagement category at the 2026 Community Rail Awards, held at Derby Arena.
Tourism & Leisure (1st place)
Our marketing of the Looe Valley Line’s improved timetable helped deliver record journey figures for this scenic branch line in South East Cornwall. Read more
Local branch lines continue to go from strength to strength thanks to the support of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.
Journey figures for the branch lines that form the Partnership’s core focus rose by 20% in 2025 compared with 2023. Read more
We’re pleased to have three of our projects shortlisted for the 2026 Community Rail Awards.
Tamar Valley Blossom Festival
Community Engagement category
The Tamar Valley Blossom Festival saw National Trust Cotehele and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership work together to engage communities around the Tamar Valley Line with the train and natural environment through guided walks, creative workshops, new artwork at Plymouth station and more. Read more
CASE STUDY | 2025 was the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, and as part of the national Railway 200 celebrations, the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership dug into the archives to uncover some of the unexpected and wonderful ways in which the railway has shaped and enriched life in the South West.
A new stamp trail has been launched in Devon and Cornwall as part of the Railway 200 celebrations which commemorate 200 years of the modern railway.
Ticket offices at twenty-three stations across the two counties from Axminster to Penzance have special Railway 200 stamps as do some station cafes and other locations such as the Library in St Ives, the RNLI shop by the beach in East Looe and Newquay Tourist Information Centre. Read more
We were pleased to pick up 3rd place in two categories at last week’s Community Rail Awards ceremony, held at Newcastle’s Civic Centre.
Tourism and Leisure award – 3rd place
Rail Ale Trails
Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and Blackmore Vale Line Community Rail Partnership teamed up for a revitalised promotion of real ale pubs along community rail lines. Read more
Marsh Barton station is now open – becoming Exeter’s ninth railway station.
A special ceremony was held yesterday at the station attended by Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, in advance of the start of passenger services today (Tuesday 4th July 2023).
Opening the station with Mark Harper was Ben Roberts-Mitchell (pictured centre of front row), a local resident who despite having a rare genetic condition has been enthusiastically watching as the station construction progressed. Read more
The Devon & Cornwall Railcard has become the first regional railcard in the UK to go digital.
Residents in Devon and Cornwall, aged 16 or over, can now purchase the railcard, download it to their phone and use it to save up to a 1/3 on standard class rail fares. Read more
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
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
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
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 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
Barnstaple railway station now has free wi-fi throughout the station thanks to a partnership between the Tarka Rail Association, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and GWR.
The wi-fi equipment has been supplied by local company Lineal Software Solutions of The Strand, Barnstaple. Read more
The clock on platform 2 at Truro station was in need of TLC, having stopped being a reliable timekeeper (and hence having to be stopped) and with its casing filthy from decades of diesel fumes.
GWR Station Manager Lee Goodson and his staff were determined to get the clock restored inside and out and asked the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership for help with funding. Read more
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.
At the start of September we launched our campaign to promote buying tickets in the GWR app.
Our animated video reached more than 60,000 people on Facebook, and was complemented by press ads in nine local newspapers across the two counties, plus digital ads on the papers’ websites. Read more