The Joint Clitheroe Line & East Lancashire Line CRPs met online for their quarterly meeting on 17th October 2024. Here are the key updates can be seen below.
Yorkshire Dales Explorer on launch day – photo © Brian Haworth
The meeting was delighted with the success of the recently introduced Saturdays only Yorkshire Dales Explorer (YDE) with over 1500 passengers using the service to take part in walks and other activities in the Yorkshire Dales along with nearly 900 who have travelled south to visit the Ribble Valley, Blackburn and even to access Manchester Airport. The service has wide support from many organisations and marketing and promotion continues on a weekly basis. The service has been entered by CRL into the Community Rail Awards and is being entered by Northern into the Rail Business Awards. Full details about the service can be found at: Yorkshire Dales Explorer/
Yorkshire Dales Explorer launch day – photo © Mark Rand FoSCL
Northern reported on recent service performance and some of the issues currently being faced especially on Sundays.
The work of the many station friends groups along both lines was celebrated with a request for all groups to send photos and reports to Richard Watts, CRL and Martin Keating, Northern.
Church & Oswaldtwistle Working Group
2025 is a special year for the railway as it celebrates 200 years since the opening of the Stockton to Darlington. A year-long series of events is being planned to mark the past, present and future of the railway. A special train will be touring the country and visiting key locations as well as heritage railways. Full details can be found on the Railway 200 website: https://railway200.co.uk/.
The meeting heard about the new Northern Education Network which is meeting 4 times a year at different locations across the Northern network. For more information contact catherine.kingdom@communityraillancashire.co.uk.
Updates on the Try The Train and Feel Good Field Trips projects were discussed.
For more information about the work of the 2 CRPs can be found in the Activity Plan update presentation which can be viewed here: CRP Action Plan Update 17.10.2024.pdf
The full Northern report can be viewed here: East Lancs and Clitheroe Lines CRP October 2024.pdf
The Community Rail Network also provided a report to the meeting which can be viewed here: Community Rail Network Update.pdf