Community Rail Lancashire hosted a visit from the Department for Transport yesterday.
Fiona Walshe, Divisional Manager, was accompanied by Kulvinder Bassi & Simon Hankin from the Community Rail Team. Also invited to join the visit were Carolyn Watson, Northern’s Community & Sustainability Director, Adam Timewell, Rail North’s Commercial Manager, Roy Greenhalgh, Network Rail’s Customer Account Manager, London North West Route and Ian Davis, ACoRP’s Operations Officer (North).
The visit started at Preston and with a trip along the East Lancashire Line listening to a commentary about the work of the CRP at the various stations. Next was a visit to the Accrington Bunker, home of Community Rail Lancashire where the group watched a presentation of the work of CRL led by Richard Watts, Chair of CRL Ltd and Secretary of the four CRPs and ably supported by Community Rail Officers Brian Haworth, Emily Elliott and Simon Clarke.
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- The group ready to depart from Accrington
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- The group pose at Rose Grove station
The group then went on to tour some of the other stations along the route including Rose Grove to see the recent improvements carried out as part of the Rose Grove Revived Project. Burnley Central was next where a new project is just starting under the ‘Young Arts Arriva’ banner.
Inspecting the run down Burnley Central station
The group then travelled back to Blackburn to see the parts of the old station building that form parts of the Blackburn Station Masterplan that should see the station transformed into a community and transport hub.