Passengers on the Island Line from Ryde to Shanklin on the Isle of Wight look set to benefit from a £60,000 fund from Community Rail Partnerships.

The new Designated Community Rail Development Fund will help deliver improvements to make a real difference at local stations, such as more seats at stations, cycle parking and better information for passengers. It can also help fund awareness campaigns to encourage more people to use these lines.

Rail Minister Tom Harris said:

“This extra funding will support the small projects that can make a big difference to passengers using rural routes and will help Community Rail Partnerships provide services that really benefit their local community.”

Community Rail Partnerships promote and develop the railway services for local people and will apply to Association of Community Rail Partnerships for the funding.  On the Isle of Wight, the Community Rail Partnership - the Island Line from Ryde to Shanklin is eligible to apply for funding.  All partnerships working on these lines can apply to the fund for a grant of up to £5,000 per route.

Jerry Swift, Network Rail’s Account Director for Community Rail, said:

“Network Rail has seen real improvements around the network as a result of the work of Community Rail Partnerships. We are delighted to be able to support this initiative and we are looking forward to seeing some innovative schemes that benefit rail users and local people. Delivering a railway that meets local needs is key to seeing the network develop.”

Neil Buxton, General Manager at ACoRP said:

“Community Rail Partnerships can deliver a lot from very little and I am pleased that we are working with the Department and Network Rail to get this project off the ground. Local rail is thriving in many parts of the country and with continued work we expect it to grow further over the next few years.”

Each year in May a series of local events staged on community rail lines around the country come together to achieve national profile through Community Rail Weekend.

This year the weekend of 16th to 18th May sees over 50 activities organised by partnerships and often run by volunteers. For details of what is happening around the country go to www.acorp.uk.com and click on Events.

Isle of Wight Community news @Island Pulse.