BRANCH line rail routes across the country take centre stage this Saturday, when the industry hosts its first Community Rail Day.
Train operators on more than 40 routes, including the Heritage Line at Bishop Auckland, County Durham, will be working together with the communities they serve to show how vital these smaller services are.
The open day will help highlight the vision for local lines in the Strategic Rail Authority's (SRA) Community Rail Development Strategy - a blueprint for the future for these branch line services.
The SRA's executive director for community rail development, Chris Austin said: "It's an exciting time for what is effectively everyone's railway. These local services have a key role to play in the everyday lives of communities throughout the country and we are asking them to work with us to help develop these routes for the future, helping to give them the railway they really want."
In all, 56 lines have been identified as community rail routes.
For information about Community Rail Day, visit the Association of Community Rail Partnership's website at www.acorp.uk.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article