Progress Report from Rhydian Mason

Cambrian Railways Partnership

JUNE-AUGUST 2011-08-24

WEBSITE:

Work has started on the new website and it will include a complete redesign incorporating suggestions from the Visit Wales digital marketing team following their informal ‘review’ of the Scenic Wales website and the websites of the Rail Partnerships in Wales.

1: Better functionality to view the website on ‘smartphones’

2: An integrated  and automated journey planner (Traveline) which will allow people to plan their journey or future journeys anywhere where there is a mobile phone signal

3: Twitter feed which will allow us to regularly update the site with short snippets of news, updates on offers, local information (and generally allow us to maintain a perception of continual ‘live’ updates online), and ‘retweeting’ of relevant tweets from Arriva Trains Wales that are relevant to the Cambrian Lines.

4: Integrated Content Management System which will allow us to individually update news and other sections of the site. Currently, any updates to the content of the site mean additional updating costs via the website developer. This is a rather ‘messy’ process which means that the site is very much ‘remote’. A content management system will allow us to include more news stories, updates from adoption groups etc on a far more regular basis, and will help manage website costs.

5. New image to the site – this will be the biggest initial perceived change. Websites these days are far more dynamic in their visual impact compared to when the CRP website was first developed. The result of this is that the existing site has a somewhat dated feel, and struggles to catch the attention of the casual browser. The new image has been designed to catch and keep the attention of the casual browser, and tempt them inside to find out more.

6. Better links page – links include Arriva Trains Wales, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Powys and Shropshire as well as the other Rail Partnerships in Wales, tourism organisations etc.

7. Facility to include a short 30second or 1 minute ‘advert’ for the Cambrian Railways on the home page – to possibly tie in with a Visit Wales initiative called ‘Invite Piers’

Future ‘add ons’ currently under basic development include a Cambrian Railways Passengers ‘app’ (application). This will initially be for ‘Android’ type phones and should allow passengers to have a ‘live’ feed (dependant on availability of mobile phone signal) giving them information about where they are on the line, and some of the notable features of that area. In effect, this will be a ‘potted’ version of the 3 current window gazers.

NEW PUBLICATIONS:

Work is under way on a number of new publications featuring the Cambrian Lines as follows:

1: Tip Top Trips by Bus and Train (joint project with Cyngor Gwynedd)

 This is a similar project to the ‘Bargains and Beaches’ pamphlet, however this includes discounts at participating attractions for users of both bus and train services in all of Gwynedd.

2: Holiday Helpers: A series of 3 pamphlets with sample itineraries on the Cambrian Lines for 3 distinct types of tourist/holidaymakers: Couples, Families, Activity holidays. The object of these is to persuade people that it is possible to leave the car at home and use the train as their main form of transportation around the area. Each pamphlet will include the basic structure for a 3 day break in the area, and will include example suggestions of what there is to see and do, and where to stay (or where to look for accommodation) during their stay. Work has already started on the first one, and we hope to have this in production soon.

3: Food Train: This pamphlet has proved to be difficult in terms of securing clear guidelines on those included in it. Currently, the Welsh Government Food division has become involved, and although their support is most welcome to this project, the additional ‘hoops’ that need to be jumped through are causing more delays in it’s production. However, I do feel that this delay is worthwhile as it will give the finished product more credence.

4: Basic revamp of the Coast and Country Gazers: With stocks of the existing Country Gazer now virtually exhausted, I have commissioned a redesign of the gazer to a more practical ‘DL’ size (the original was an A5 size -  The Safari Gazer was created as a DL size as very few leaflet outlets have ‘A5’ dispensers.). I intend to do the same to the Coast Gazer over the Winter.

5: The Cambrian Aleways: This has been reprinted due to demand.

6: Cambrian Trailways: Stocks of the Trailways are virtually exhausted now, and a reprint of these is under way.

7. Many Happy Returns: A series of posters and pocket timetables promoting an integrated transport project for combined bus and rail tickets for return journeys between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth

LAUNCHES/EVENTS/EXHIBITIONS:

The Safari Gazer was launched with pupils from Machynlleth Primary School along with help from the RSPB. This proved to be a great success, and other schools have enquired (over the summer holiday period) about how they can arrange a Safari trip, and other rail-related activities.

Combined Bus and Rail ticketing between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth: launched in June with Glyn Davies MP present, this has proved to be as popular as expected.

Borth Station Adoptees: Attended the launch/opening of the Borth Railway Museum on behalf of the Cambrian Railways Partnership and passed on the good wishes and congratulations of the CRP to the adoptees

Town Council presentations:

A number of town councils along the route of the Cambrian Railways have been contacted, and I have to date been invited to give presentations at Welshpool (September 7) and Newtown (November 28) to talk to them about the role of the CRP, and to seek ways of getting involved in more community based projects during the off-peak tourist season to generate more ‘ownership’ amongst these communities with their railway.

Shrewsbury Flower Show: A highly successful event for CRP during which hundreds of enquiries relating to the Cambrian Lines were made, and many hundreds of pamphlets and timetables were distributed.

The Swansea Transport festival at the Maritime Museum is also in the diary for early September 3.

OTHER:

Undertaken 3 major leaflet drops along the coast over the summer and am pleased to note that each time that the vast majority of the previous materials left with them had depleted significantly. I am also pleased that the majority of the site owners/staff who have direct contact with guests/general public to tend to promote the train prior to promoting bus or car travel. The ‘credit card’ timetables produced by the CRP are without doubt the most sought after publication, closely followed in equal measure by the window gazers, bargains and beaches, and aleways. The Safari Gazer seems to have also benefited from the recent BBC Springwatch from RSPB Ynys Hir.

Train Stay Save: I am in little doubt that this scheme could be far greater than it currently is, and I have been in discussions with other partnerships, Visit Wales, and Mid Wales tourism to see how we can improve it’s usability and functionality.

A basic straw poll undertaken by myself over the summer during leaflet distributions gave a mixed reaction. All agreed that the idea behind it was excellent, however some TIC staff reported that it did seem initially confusing as to how to actually get the discount. David Edwards (Heart of Wales Line) and myself have spoken frequently about this and we are hoping to proceed with a joint marketing effort to get more participants on board, and subsequently, more passengers taking advantage of the scheme. A meeting with Val Hawkins of Mid Wales Tourism is being arranged during the next week or so.

I will also be exhibiting materials at Sheffield Station on the morning after the ACORP Awards event on September 24.

SCHOOLS:

Currently liaising with various people to start organising school liaison projects for the off-peak tourist season to include:

Safari Trips between Machynlleth and Tywyn / Machynlleth and Borth

Schools Rail Heritage trips to the museum in Borth

Rail-related safety with British Transport Police

Station Care projects (floral, litter picks, artwork etc)

MEETINGS ETC:

Visit Wales – August: Meeting at Visit Wales offices’ at Cardiff to discuss opportunities and forge better links with them in the context of marketing community railways.

Mark Price, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff: Meeting to discuss and confirm the Welsh Community Rail Partnerships presence and presentation at the ACORP event at Sheffield. Each of the rail partnerships will be featured in some way, including the CRP.

Welsh Government & TPMW: Meetings concerning the ongoing ‘food train’ campaign. Transpires now that tie-ins with the True Taste awards are possible, with the Welsh Government showing a strong interest in this now.

Attended Aberystwyth Station redevelopment meeting(s): to discuss proposals for the redevelopment of the station at Aberystwyth, and to see if the CRP can play a role in the public consultation and to generate a better awareness of the scheme.

Additional Activities

1: A Revised Country Gazer has been produced, this has been produced to be easier to read and understand, and has been resized to enable folding to 'DL' size, which is the size of leaflet holder most commonly used. Previous Country and Coast Gazers were folded to 'A5' size, meaning that many outlets simply weren't able to accommodate them on leaflet racks. In the spring we hope to provide the Coast Gazer leaflet with a similar re-vamp.

2: Have met with Welshpool Town Council to discuss co-operation with events planned for Welshpool, these include the Winter Festival (2011), Air Display and Model Exhibitions (2012) which we hope to be able to offer some special deals in conjunction with rail ticketing.

3: New website: Some last minute changes and functional additions to the website have delayed the new website becoming 'live'. However, we feel that the new additions (which include journey planners, event diary etc) will drastically enhance the useability and 'value' of the website to it's users (currenly around 2,500 'hits' per month).

4: Holiday Helpers brochures. Work is now well underway on the first of a proposed series of 3 'holiday helpers' - guides for diferent types of people to encourage them to use the train as their main mode of transport when getting to and from, and around mid Wales. Dependant on funds, we hope to get 2 ready to distribute before the end of this financial year, with the 3rd and final to be produced in the new financial year.

5: Child Safety guide: Following discussions with Llenyddiaeth Cymru (Literature Wales), we may be in a position to produce a special guide for children and young people focussing on the 'fun' of the railways, whilst incorporating important safety advice. This will be a new, modern and bilingual project which has initially taken its inspiration from a 1991 production by British Rail - 'Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety'. Currently, there is nothing to replace this UK wide guide, and our intention is to secure support and funding from as many sources as possible so that the Cambrian Railways Partnership can produce a dynamic booklet for the benefit of children across Wales.

6: Christmas Competitions in conjunction with Portmeirion: We have secured 2 overnight holiday packages free of charge from Portmeirion (to include free rail travel for the winners), and we intend to contact 2 newspapers and give them the opportunity to offer their readers these prizes in return for some suitably festive advertising for the Cambrian lines. The Express & Star is one paper that has been identified as a suitable target market in the Midlands. The other paper will now be the Cambrian News, as we do feel that the recent 'glut' of rather negative stories about the railway in the paper requires some form of 'appeasement'. In addition, the readership of the Cambrian News goes deep into Ceredigion, where there are very few rail users due to there not being a 'line' anymore.

7: The Cambrian Railways Partnership Development Officer now has a base from which to work in a more formal environment. Our thanks go to Mid Wales Tourism at Machynlleth who have kindly agreed to provide offi