About Community Rail

 

Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership (OxCRP) is one of over 80 CRPs across the country. Each one is different, responding to their own local circumstances and social needs. They all have the same overall objective however, connecting the rail industry and local communities to each other more effectively, and delivering social value through their work.

 

Station Adopters/Friends and Community Stations
 

Volunteer groups at stations - often called station adopters or station friends - perform a vital role in helping their stations act as a gateway to their local communities. They often carry out gardening projects or install artworks, helping to bring individuality and local identity to their stations. We are incredibly grateful to all our station adopters across our network who dedicate their time to improving our station environments. If our website inspires you to get involved with voluntary work to bring some unique community spirit to your local station, drop us a line and we can explain how to take your ideas forward and who to talk to next.

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Community Stations are projects to reuse empty station buildings for community benefit. If you are developing a project like this, drop us a line to see how we can support each other.

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Department for Transport

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The government recognises the importance of community rail as part of the rail industry, and the Department for Transport maintains a Community Rail Development Strategy which is revised from time to time. The strategy identifies four "pillars" of community rail activity which the government believes community rail partnerships are particularly well placed to deliver. These are:

 

• Providing a voice for the community

• Promoting sustainable, healthy and accessible travel

• Bringing communities together and supporting diversity and inclusion

• Supporting social and economic development

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OxCRP is fully committed to working in line with these four pillars.

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Network Rail

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Network Rail owns and operates the national railway network's infrastructure (the track, signals, bridges and tunnels). It owns railway stations although these are operated on a day-to-day basis by the local train operators. It also recognises the importance of community rail and OxCRP works closely with Network Rail as necessary to deliver projects.

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Community Rail Network

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All CRPs - including OxCRP - are members of Community Rail Network, the national membership body for community rail organisations. Community Rail Network shares best practice amongst its members and it sets the standards that CRPs must achieve before they can apply for membership. Its website also contains more information about the range of community rail organisations and examples of the work they do.