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International
ACoRP
has a growing number of friends and contacts across Europe and other
parts of the world. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Support group (India)
and Washington Area Railroad Passengers Association are members of ACoRP.
We have a growing number of friends in Ireland, both north and south.
We want to learn from best practice in other parts of the world and
apply it to the British context.
Study visits
ACoRP organises regular study visits to regional and local
railways in other parts of Europe. This year a group of community rail
officers from the North of England visited The Netherlands as guests
of NS and NedRail, with representatives of UK train operator Northern
Rail.
Previously, we have organised group visits to regional railways in Germany,
Sweden, Denmark and Belgium.
We are keen to develop further contacts in Europe and further afield.
.
ACoRP
in Holland
A dozen community rail officers and ACoRP staff visited The
Netherlands in May as guests of Ned Rail and Netherlands Railways (NS).
NedRail is the subsidiary of NS which is the partner of Serco for the
Northern and Merseyrail franchises. The community rail officers were
from partnerships in the Northern franchise area. They included:
•
West
of Lancashire CRP
•
Mid-Cheshire
CRP
•
Esk
Valley Railway Development Co.
•
Penistone
Line Partnership
The group visited the NS Training Centre in Utrecht and met several
NS managers involved in commercial activities. We saw the remarkably
successful ‘Syntus’ project in eastern Holland – one
of the best examples of a fully integrated rural bus and rail operation.
It is a joint venture between NS and bus companies and is operating
a brand new fleet of ‘LINT’ railcars. The group met senior
managers of the company and saw integration in operation: deserted railway
stations which suddenly spring to life with the simultaneous arrival
of trains and buses!
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India:
A DHR train storms through the streets of Kurseong, West Bengal, in
February 2005
A
brand new Arriva 'LINT' train on a service in Silkeborg, Jutland in
August 2004
The
group sampled the pioneering tram/train operation from Gouda to Alphen
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