Community Rail Lancashire
Community Rail Lancashire is a UK non-profit founded in 2001 that manages four community rail partnerships covering seven rail lines across Lancashire, delivering education, station adoption, rail-confidence, and sustainable tourism programmes funded primarily by Northern Railways, Avanti West Coast, and TransPennine Express.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersAccrington, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Community Rail Lancashire does
Community Rail Lancashire Ltd. (CRL) is a UK non-profit community rail partnership organisation founded in 2001 and headquartered at Accrington Railway Station in Lancashire. It manages four community rail partnerships (CRPs) on a day-to-day basis — the Clitheroe Line, East Lancashire, South Fylde Line, and West of Lancashire lines — covering seven rail lines, with additional involvement in the Leeds & Morecambe (Bentham Line) CRP shared with North Yorkshire. Its purpose is to support and develop Lancashire's rail network for the benefit of the communities it connects, delivering station adoption programmes, education outreach via TrainEd, rail-confidence initiatives through Try The Train, sustainable tourism via EcoEscapes, and the Saturdays-only Yorkshire Dales Explorer service.
CRL is funded by grants and in-kind support from Northern Railways (the primary funder of staff posts), Avanti West Coast, and TransPennine Express, with co-funding and partnership from Lancashire County Council, Network Rail, Transport for Greater Manchester, MerseyTravel, and the national Community Rail Network. It employs 11 team members across development, education, accessibility, SEND, and administration roles, and is led by Chair Richard Watts alongside two Community Rail Development Officers. The organisation has no commercial product or pricing model; revenue is grant-based and the operating model is community-led coordination rather than service delivery.
CRL's core outputs include the TrainEd education website, Try The Train guided rail trips, line guides and timetables, the Lancashire By Rail film series (produced by Huckleberry Films), history posters, station adoption support, and themed projects such as the Autism Friendly Line and Forged in Steam. It won the National Community Rail Awards Station Development Category in 2010 for the Ormskirk station renovation, and in 2026 is celebrating 25 years of community rail across Lancashire. There is no disclosed AI, software product, app, API, or proprietary technology stack; digital infrastructure is limited to content websites and social channels.
Community Rail Lancashire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Rail Lancashire
- Legal name
- Community Rail Lancashire Ltd.
- Website
- https://communityraillancashire.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Community Rail Lancashire is a UK non-profit founded in 2001 that manages four community rail partnerships covering seven rail lines across Lancashire, delivering education, station adoption, rail-confidence, and sustainable tourism programmes funded primarily by Northern Railways, Avanti West Coast, and TransPennine Express.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Rail Lancashire industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Rail Partnership Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban Rail Accessibility & Passenger Assistance Services (THAIABAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Tourist/Heritage Regional Rail (Commuter-Adjacent) Services (THAIACAJ)
Keywords
Where Community Rail Lancashire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Accrington
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Community Rail Lancashire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grant funding and partnerships: Community Rail Lancashire is funded by Northern Railways and partners including Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Express. The organization does not generate revenue from products or services but operates through grants and partnerships with rail industry stakeholders.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Community Rail Lancashire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Community Rail Lancashire is a community rail partnership organization that supports and develops Lancashire's rail network through four Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) covering seven rail lines. It delivers educational outreach (TrainEd), passenger confidence initiatives (Try The Train), sustainable tourism projects (EcoEscapes, Yorkshire Dales Explorer, Lancashire by Rail), and station adoption programs in partnership with rail operators, local authorities, and community groups.
Product overview
Community Rail Lancashire is a charitable organization that supports and develops Lancashire's rail network through Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs), not a traditional tech product company. The organization operates as a federation of four Lancashire CRPs (Clitheroe Line, East Lancashire, South Fylde Line, and West of Lancashire) plus involvement with the Leeds & Morecambe CRP, covering eight lines total. Its core services include community rail partnership coordination, the TrainEd educational program, Try The Train confidence-building initiative, the Yorkshire Dales Explorer seasonal service, EcoEscapes sustainable tourism project, Lancashire by Rail film series, Station Adoption program for community engagement, and various publications including line guides, history posters, and newsletters. The organization works in partnership with Northern Railways, Merseyrail, Network Rail, and local authorities rather than selling software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Rail Partnership Coordination Day-to-day coordination of four wholly Lancashire Community Rail Partnerships covering seven rail lines, serving as the central management body linking rail operators, local authorities, Network Rail, and community groups across the county.
- TrainEd Education Programme
Companies that use Community Rail Lancashire
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Community Rail Lancashire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Community Rail Lancashire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Northern RailwayscorePrimary operational partner providing funding for CRL staff positions including Development Officers, Education Development Officers, and Community Rail Officers. Northern Railways also manages station adoption and Friends Groups within the CRL area.
- Avanti West CoastcoreFunding partner for CRL staff and initiatives alongside Northern Railways and TransPennine Express.
- TransPennine ExpresscoreFunding partner for CRL staff and initiatives alongside Northern Railways and Avanti West Coast.
- Network RailcoreInfrastructure owner partner involved in station development projects and CRP management groups.
- Lancashire County CouncilcoreKey local authority partner in CRP management groups, providing funding for station improvements and transport interchanges.
- Community Rail NetworkcoreNational body that promotes and supports community rail partnerships and station adoption across the UK.
- British Transport PoliceminorRepresented in CRP management groups for community safety and security coordination.
- Huckleberry FilmscoreLocal creative film company producing series of films for Community Rail Lancashire designed to encourage people to Explore Lancashire by Rail.
- Transport for Greater ManchestercoreGreater Manchester transport authority represented in CRP management groups.
- MerseyTravelcoreMerseyside transport authority partner, particularly involved in West of Lancashire CRP covering lines to Southport and Ormskirk.
- Karen AllertonminorCommissioned artist who worked with students from Ribblesdale High School and Blackburn College on the Along The Line art project at Ramsgreave and Wilpshire Station.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Community Rail Lancashire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Community Rail Lancashire social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Rail Lancashire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Rail Lancashire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Community Rail Lancashire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Community Rail Lancashire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Rail Lancashire
What does Community Rail Lancashire do?
Community Rail Lancashire is a community rail partnership organization that supports and develops Lancashire's rail network through four Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs) covering seven rail lines. It delivers educational outreach (TrainEd), passenger confidence initiatives (Try The Train), sustainable tourism projects (EcoEscapes, Yorkshire Dales Explorer, Lancashire by Rail), and station adoption programs in partnership with rail operators, local authorities, and community groups.
Is Community Rail Lancashire a public or private company?
Community Rail Lancashire is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Community Rail Lancashire founded?
Community Rail Lancashire was founded in 2001. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Community Rail Lancashire based?
Community Rail Lancashire is headquartered in Accrington, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Community Rail Lancashire make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant funding and partnerships.
Does Community Rail Lancashire have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Rail Lancashire.
What industry is Community Rail Lancashire in?
Community Rail Lancashire's product category is Community Rail Partnership Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAIABAK, Urban Rail Accessibility & Passenger Assistance Services, with a secondary code of THAIACAJ, Tourist/Heritage Regional Rail (Commuter-Adjacent) Services. Its NAICS code is 4882 and its SIC code is 4700.