LNER Highlights Community Rail Week at York Station
03/06/2026
LNER has joined forces with community rail partners at York Station (Wednesday 3 June) to celebrate Community Rail Week and highlight the vital role rail plays in supporting towns, cities and communities across the country.
Community Rail Week showcases the significant contribution of Community Rail Partnerships in helping local railways thrive. They work to improve connectivity, promote inclusivity, and deliver economic and social value to the communities they serve.
The partnerships bring together rail operators, local councils, community groups and rail users, who share a common goal of promoting the benefits of rail. Their work includes supporting station improvements, promoting tourism, and rail as a sustainable form of travel.
Representatives from the Bishop Line, Esk Valley Line and Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnerships joined LNER colleagues at York Station, to meet customers, share information about local initiatives, and encourage greater use of rail services.
Jake Orros, Community Partnerships Manager at LNER, said: “Community Rail Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the partnerships, who work hard to make sure that the railway delivers real benefits for local communities. Many rely on dedicated volunteers, who give their time and expertise to promote the railway and all it brings to communities. LNER is proud to support their important work.”
Pete Myers, Chair of Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership, who won this year’s Community Rail Outstanding Contribution Award, said: “It’s been fantastic to join LNER and other community rail partners to highlight the benefits of the railway and the work partnerships do to maintain and improve services. We’re dedicated to improving access to rail and connectivity across the region, while promoting rail as a sustainable way to travel.”
Jools Townsend, Chief Executive of Community Rail Network, said: "Across the community rail movement, we see the difference it makes when transport is truly accessible and inclusive. People should not feel excluded from the railways, or face barriers that limit access to work, education, and social opportunities, or even the ability to see friends and family. Community Rail Partnerships are working to change that. They show what works in practice: listening to communities, drawing on lived experience, building travel confidence, and treating public transport as a public good. Community Rail Week shines a light on that work."
