Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of community rail partnerships on local rail services; what funding her Department has allocated to community rail partnerships in this financial year; and what steps her Department is taking to promote and expand community rail activity.

Community Rail delivers projects which bring benefits to local rail through social, environmental, and economic growth. Work carried out by Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) includes projects to establish community hubs in underused station spaces, creation and maintenance of gardens at stations, and supporting all members of the community to travel with confidence, for example by improving station environments to accommodate all members of the community. These projects help improve the safety and inclusivity of the railway, as well as encouraging rail travel as a more sustainable mode of transport.

The Department has granted over £800,000 to the Community Rail Network (CRN) via core and project funding in this financial year (FY 2025-2026). The CRN provide access to grants and resources for its members (a mix of CRPs and Station Adoption Groups). Whilst the Department does not directly fund CRPs, financial support is provided directly via the train operating companies.

The Department continues to support the community rail sector, and as we move towards establishing Great British Railways (GBR), Community Rail will be integral to helping us deliver our priorities and will continue to deliver for passengers and communities. We will continue to work closely with the Community Rail Network to identify opportunities to support the community rail sector ahead of the standup of GBR.