The Swanage Railway has announced that it has won a top award at the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) awards.

The award ceremony was held at the Barrowhill Roundhouse museum. It was hosted by East Midlands Trains on Thursday 5th October 2017.

The award was for the Swanage to Wareham services which started running this year, with help from West Coast Railways.

The aim of the reconnection between the two towns is to provide a passenger link between the two towns. The line which was cut in 1972 by British Railways and more than half the line was demolished.

The award was the Innovation in Community Rail award was collected by the Swanage Railway Trust chairman Gavin Johns, Swanage Railway Company chairman Trevor Parsons, also in attendance were Kelly Flynn from Dorset County Council and Phil Dominey from South Western Railway.

Gavin Johns – Swanage Railway Trust Chairman

Gavin said “We are very pleased to see the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership, which the Swanage Railway has been a key member since 1997, has received this coveted Innovation in Community Rail award. It is richly deserved. The new two-year trial service between Swanage and Wareham is unique among community rail activity across the UK. It has been achieved with much dedication and hard work over the past 20 years. The Purbeck Community Rail Partnership was founded back in 1997.

He added “The trial service and the Association of Community Rail Partnerships’ award are testament to the joint benefits of teamwork and having an unswerving goal in mind. There is much to be learnt from the experience of the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership that could be used elsewhere in the UK to provide community-led rail services. This award is a brilliant result and reflects well on the sustained and collaborative approach that has been taken by the Swanage Railway – and our other partners in the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership – over many years to get the infrastructure funded and in place and the first year of the trial Wareham service completed.

“The judges particularly remarked on the complexity of the task. Also the benefits gained from partnership and the potential benefits for the Purbeck community. The Department for Transport’s lead executive for passenger rail franchising, Peter Wilkinson, singled out the Wareham to Swanage trial. This is a prime example of where they want community rail to go. Such as engaging with communities and providing services at low cost that communities specify and need” .

ACoRP is a group which supports community projects.

• Visit the Swanage Railway Website
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