Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership

A Community Rail Partnership (CRP) is a practical partnership between the local communities served by a railway line and the railway industry to promote its use for the benefit of the community. It acts as a thread through the area offering increased travel, tourism, educational and economic regeneration opportunities for everyone.

In the UK there are some 40 plus CRP's covering railways that are predominantly (but not exclusively) rural or local in character including: Devon & Cornwall, Dartmoor Railway, Highland Rail Partnership, Mid Cheshire Rail Partnership, Purbeck Rail Partnership and many more.

The partnerships have already proved invaluable to the economies of their local areas and, for example, in the case of the Settle - Carlisle line helped save it from closure.

Amongst shire counties, Essex has one of the largest rail networks, currently with five passenger train operators and some 80 rail stations. The Essex & South Suffolk partnership (ESSCRP) was founded in 1997 and covers four lines, they are:

The Mayflower Line, running between Manningtree and Harwich Town
The Crouch Valley Line, running between Wickford and Southminster
The Gainsborough Line, running between Marks Tey and Sudbury
Colchester to Clacton on Sea running between Colchester, Clacton on Sea and Walton-on -the Naze

The CRP is designed to encourage and promote primarily off-peak rail travel for residents and business users of the communities along the four branch lines by way of a wide range of projects, enabling the communities to increase their economic, social and environmental welfare.

A recent survey indicated that it was possible for the CRP to reach a wider audience, therefore we would like to expand the visibility of the partnership.

If you have any questions or queries or would like to be involved in the work of the ESSCRP please do not hesitate to contact me on 01621 773895

This page is maintained by Andy Wise