A rail-y great start to Better Transport Week
Today was the official start of Better Transport Week and we’ve spent the day celebrating all things rail.
This morning we kicked off our week-long celebration of sustainable transport at Kings Cross Station in London with Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, and in Cardiff, Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters did the honours of launching Better Transport Week in Wales. We’ve also been celebrating our local railway stations and the station adoption groups that keep them running.
Over 1,200 railway stations across Britain are supported by volunteer-run station adoption groups who all work hard to make stations inclusive, vibrant and welcoming places, adding value to their communities with gardens, local art projects and workshops.
In recognition of all their hard work, we’re running a station-themed competition during Better Transport Week.
In partnership with Community Rail Network, which supports those working and volunteering in community rail, we’re asking rail passengers to share what they love about their railway station by sending a comment, photo, artwork or even a poem about what makes their station great. The winning entry of our Love Your Station competition will receive a £100 voucher to use on Britain’s national rail network.
We’ve already had some fantastic entries that show how important railway stations are, and why community rail should be celebrated.
Ann in Bristol has told us about the Montpelier & Redland Stations in Bristol. A very new station adoption group, the group was only formed in October 2022, with guidance from the Severnside Community Rail Partnership. Four volunteers now work across the two stations, with new members being recruited. The stations are three minutes apart on the Severn line and can transport passengers into Bristol with £3.50 tickets. At Redland, a local volunteer has planted a herb garden, soon available for customers to pick, and Montpellier’s overgrown garden area has been cleared with plans forming for what to plant in the space.
“I like the stations as they are a valuable source of travel with plenty of connections and also the opportunity to meet local people to help keep the stations neat and tidy.”
Ann, Bristol
Beautiful flower beds are becoming a key feature of UK railway stations, as Margaret told us about Welwyn Garden City:
“Many of the flower beds on our station have been in place since the station was built to serve the people of the second garden city in England, Welwyn Garden City. So it is only fitting that the flower beds today, 97 years later, are cared for and even enhanced. The volunteer gardeners do their bit once a week and not only enjoy the camaraderie and open air exercise but also the many complements they receive from commuters and travellers who say that the flowers and shrubs add to their travelling experience, making Welwyn Garden City a happy place to come home to.”
Margaret, Hertfordshire
Station adoption groups work hard to add value to their communities. Charles has told us how the dedicated team of station adopters work hard at Halesworth Station where there’s a museum and Local Transport Office which runs a local Hoppa service, connecting people to local services.
“The line was saved by a campaign that lives on in the form of ESTA, (East Suffolk Transport Association) and despite having been half destroyed by enemy action during the war, Halesworth Station continues to serve as a hub for travellers and students of archeology.”
Charles, Suffolk
The only thing better than reading about historic train stations? Reading about brand new ones…
Ankaret in Birmingham has been celebrating Moseley Village station in Birmingham, which is still in the process of being built. Built in the 1860s but closed during the Second World War, this long campaigned-for reopening will happen thanks to funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Department for Transport, and Birmingham City Council’s clean air zone fund.
“I am absolutely thrilled! My part of Birmingham was the only one with no railway service. Once the station is open it will be so much easier to get to lots of places, such as my local hospital, parks, and my pensioner clubs. I am very grateful to our Mayor, Andy Street, for getting this station plus three others opened and giving us also a tram system that we hadn’t had since the 1950s.”
Ankaret, Birmingham
Richard from Cornwall, even sent us a poem about his local station, Gunnislake!
In the heart of Tamar Valley’s gentle embrace,
Stands Gunnislake Station, a sacred space,
A gateway to tales that eagerly unfold,
As adventures begin, stories yet untold.
From this quaint platform, dreams take flight,
With each train’s arrival, a beacon of light,
Carrying wanderers to mystical realms,
Where enchantment resides, at nature’s helm.
Board the carriage, embrace its gentle chug,
As the wheels spin with a rhythmic tug,
Through the valley’s embrace, verdant and fair,
A kaleidoscope of beauty, beyond compare.
Later you return, your journey complete,
With memories cherished, forever to keep,
For this humble station, a portal it may be,
To adventures and wonders, boundless and free.
To enter the Love Your Station competition, submit a comment, a photo, an artwork or a poem via the website. The competition closes at 23:59 on Sunday 18 June.
