Community Rail
The Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company is an accredited Community Rail Partnership
A Community Rail Partnership
The Settle-Carlisle Railway has been an accredited Community Rail Partnership for over five years
The accreditation, certified by the Department for Transport (DfT), is awarded in recognition of the community-centred projects and services we provide across the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria.
Accreditation is formal recognition by the DfT that a community rail partnership (CRP) operates to a high standard and that Government supports its objectives and activities”
We work in partnership with the rail industry, local businesses, community groups and organisations to encourage socio-economic engagement along the world-renowned Settle to Carlisle railway.
Our Projects
We work in partnership with the rail industry, local businesses, community groups and organisations to support the local economy and beneift communities along the line
Recent community projects include:
- The Appleby Art Project, working with local award-winning artist Karen Babayan-Taylor and Appleby Primary School
- Try the Train Project with Carlisle & District Refuge Support Group
- Back to Hogwarts Day with Appleby traders
- Working with Skipton and Settle Scouts for their 'Platform for Change' badge
- Working with Settle Girlguiding, creating bug hotels and planting pots
- Station open days at Appleby and Settle Station
- Running Dementia Forward projects, supporting those living with dementia and their carers
- Provision of funding to assist in the installation of artwork for a bus shelter in Kirkby Stephen town centre.
It is such projects that enable us to fulfil the aims and objectives specified in the DfT’s Community Rail strategy.
We also provide a range of services and products that benefit locals and visitors to the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria. We are contracted by Northern, the train operating company (TOC), to provide promotion and marketing of the rail lines timetabled services (including the Leeds-Lancaster/Morecambe railway), management of the Dales Railcard for local residents, organisation of group travel, provision of station staff at Settle and Appleby and operation of the on-board refreshment trolley service. Our catering portfolio includes running the station café at Skipton and the Ribblehead Visitor Centre & Coffee shop.
In recent years, we have operated special heritage charter trains to provide local residents with the opportunity of a day out in York & Chester.
We are not alone in our passion for the Settle to Carlisle railway. Working alongside us is The Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line (FoSCL), a membership organisation of individuals and volunteers who campaign for improvements and support projects along the railway, and the Settle-Carlisle Railway Trust, who care for some of the line’s buildings, heritage and historical archives and manage holiday lets at some of the heritage stations.
Together with FoSCL, in particular, we work with Northern and others to enhance current and future timetabled services for the rail line.
Through our Station Improvement Group we work in collaboration with Northern, Network Rail and FoSCL to deliver a variety of station improvements and restoration projects that enhance the user experience and preserve the lines heritage.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of our work, would like us to attend a meeting or have a project you would like to discuss, please contact us.
