Examples of Fighting Fund Awards
Railfuture awards money from its Fighting Fund towards schemes that provide a 'bigger and better railway' (which is Railfuture's key purpose), such as promoting and producing studies for new or reopened station or line. It also awards money to promote the railway, in order to increase patronage. The third criterion, and one that is thankfully rare with our growing railway, is to fight closures or service reductions (where there is sound business justification to continue with the current service).
Priority for awards is given to Railfuture's branches and affiliated organisations, such as rail user groups. It is vital that any external applicants show how Railfuture will benefit from making an award.
Rail Promotion - West Oxfordshire
In late-2024 the Railfuture-affiliated Witney Oxford Transport Group published a 5-minute video promoting a new rail link with Oxford "Joining the dots makes sense" with the aid of a £1k Fighting Fund grant.
Rail Promotion - Bude-Okehampton bus-rail link
In March 2024 Railfuture's Board agreed c.£1.5k to support recently-affiliated campaign group Connect Bude to run a local survey, fully credited to Railfuture's support, to back calls for better bus links with the nearest railhead at Okehampton. In April 2026 Connect Bude published the survey results.
Rail Line Reopening - Bideford-Barnstaple
The ACE Rail campaign began life in 2021, under the auspices of the former Tarka Rail Association (TRA), and by late-2023 the campaign for through Bideford and Barnstaple to Exeter services led to the formation of stakeholder group the Northern Devon Railway Development Alliance (NDRDA). The TRA received a Fighting Fund grant to commission an independent Initial Business Case for restoring Bideford services, and the NDRDA has received grants to support annual Conventions and workshops and also a £10k grant towards a specialist economic appraisal of rail services for Bideford; that sum was matched by Torridge District Council, and an equal amount came from Barnstaple and Bideford Town Councils plus a Bideford County Councillor's annual Locality Budget.
Rail Line Reopening - Skipton-Colne
Railfuture gave £500 to the Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) towards the £10,000+ cost of a study by JMP Consulting into the re-opening of the Skipton – Colne route. Produced by the Leeds office of the national firm JMP in full compliance with DfT (Department for Transport) guidelines, the report looked at the costs and benefits associated with the re-opening.
SELRAP publicised the results on 30 November 2007. "The study shows a benefits-cost ratio approaching 2.5", said SELRAP chairman Derek Jennings, "which is well above the figure at which Network Rail and the Department for Transport can take the reopening proposal forward.
"It also allows us to campaign at a new level, and SELRAP now plans to discuss its ideas with Network Rail and the many other bodies that will be involved in the coming years."
In addition to the benefits within the scope of this benefits-cost ratio calculation, JMP has identified and assessed various other benefits which will all positively impact on the quality of the lives of people in Craven, Pendle and the wider community.
These include: regeneration, that is new or better businesses and more jobs; environmental (less pollution, car journeys and collisions); and social inclusion (more mobility for, for example, the young, elderly or those without a car).
Rail Line Reopening - Stratford-Honeybourne
Railfuture paid Stratford on Avon District Council (as lead) £2,000 from its Fighting Fund in April 2012 to produce the Stratford-Honeybourne Rail Study costing £70,000. Other funders included Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils, Centro, TOCs and several rail promotion groups.
The study looked at the reinstatement of a 6-mile section of railway line between Stratford-upon-Avon and Long Marston linking to the Cotswold Line at Honeybourne. It identified a benefit-to-cost ratio of (BCR) of 2:1 for the reopened route.
Railfuture was also represented on the steering group.
Rail Line Reopening - St Andrews Rail Link
Railfuture's Fighting Fund added £500 to the £2,000 already contributed by Railfuture Scotland to produce a case to reopen the railway line to St Andrews.
Then in March 2024 Railfuture's Board agreed £5k to support campaign group StARLink to commission a land value capture study.
Rail Improvements - Lea Valley
In 2012 a joint bid for £5,000 by the London and South East regional branch and the Railfuture-affiliated Chingford Line Users Association, and supported by the branch's Eastern division, was rewarded with a grant to support lobbying for various improvements to the Lea Valley line of specific benefit to Waltham Forest. A report by JR Consulting was presented to CLUA's AGM in June 2012. See Eastern for further details.
One of the key proposals from the Railfuture-funded report was the reopening of Lea Bridge station. Thanks to the business case that Railfuture funded, this was opened by Rail Minister Claire Perry MP in May 2016.
Rail Improvements - Wealden line, Uckfield-Lewes-Sussex coast
In March 2013 the Fighting Fund made an award to engage JR Consulting to start building a strategic alliance of stakeholders to promote a bigger better Wealden railway, including reinstating the Uckfield - Lewes rail link.
This has been followed up with further awards for Railfuture's Thameslink 2 concept.
New / Reopened Rail Stations
Railfuture has awarded £500 towards a case being produced for the Beattock Station Action Group in Scotland.
Up to £10,000 was awarded towards a GRIP3 study for a station at Magor in Wales.
Rail Defence
Railfuture awarded £200 to East Suffolk Travel Association (ESTA) towards its campaign against the relocation of Lowestoft station, from its ideal location, 400 metres away from the sea-front in order to release railway land. This campaign was won.
Railfuture awards money from its Fighting Fund towards schemes that provide a 'bigger and better railway' (which is Railfuture's key purpose), such as promoting and producing studies for new or reopened station or line. It also awards money to promote the railway, in order to increase patronage. The third criterion, and one that is thankfully rare with our growing railway, is to fight closures or service reductions (where there is sound business justification to continue with the current service).
Priority for awards is given to Railfuture's branches and affiliated organisations, such as rail user groups. It is vital that any external applicants show how Railfuture will benefit from making an award.
Rail Promotion - West Oxfordshire
In late-2024 the Railfuture-affiliated Witney Oxford Transport Group published a 5-minute video promoting a new rail link with Oxford "Joining the dots makes sense" with the aid of a £1k Fighting Fund grant.
Rail Promotion - Bude-Okehampton bus-rail link
In March 2024 Railfuture's Board agreed c.£1.5k to support recently-affiliated campaign group Connect Bude to run a local survey, fully credited to Railfuture's support, to back calls for better bus links with the nearest railhead at Okehampton. In April 2026 Connect Bude published the survey results.
Rail Line Reopening - Bideford-Barnstaple
The ACE Rail campaign began life in 2021, under the auspices of the former Tarka Rail Association (TRA), and by late-2023 the campaign for through Bideford and Barnstaple to Exeter services led to the formation of stakeholder group the Northern Devon Railway Development Alliance (NDRDA). The TRA received a Fighting Fund grant to commission an independent Initial Business Case for restoring Bideford services, and the NDRDA has received grants to support annual Conventions and workshops and also a £10k grant towards a specialist economic appraisal of rail services for Bideford; that sum was matched by Torridge District Council, and an equal amount came from Barnstaple and Bideford Town Councils plus a Bideford County Councillor's annual Locality Budget.
Rail Line Reopening - Skipton-Colne
Railfuture gave £500 to the Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) towards the £10,000+ cost of a study by JMP Consulting into the re-opening of the Skipton – Colne route. Produced by the Leeds office of the national firm JMP in full compliance with DfT (Department for Transport) guidelines, the report looked at the costs and benefits associated with the re-opening.
SELRAP publicised the results on 30 November 2007. "The study shows a benefits-cost ratio approaching 2.5", said SELRAP chairman Derek Jennings, "which is well above the figure at which Network Rail and the Department for Transport can take the reopening proposal forward.
"It also allows us to campaign at a new level, and SELRAP now plans to discuss its ideas with Network Rail and the many other bodies that will be involved in the coming years."
In addition to the benefits within the scope of this benefits-cost ratio calculation, JMP has identified and assessed various other benefits which will all positively impact on the quality of the lives of people in Craven, Pendle and the wider community.
These include: regeneration, that is new or better businesses and more jobs; environmental (less pollution, car journeys and collisions); and social inclusion (more mobility for, for example, the young, elderly or those without a car).
Rail Line Reopening - Stratford-Honeybourne
Railfuture paid Stratford on Avon District Council (as lead) £2,000 from its Fighting Fund in April 2012 to produce the Stratford-Honeybourne Rail Study costing £70,000. Other funders included Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils, Centro, TOCs and several rail promotion groups.
The study looked at the reinstatement of a 6-mile section of railway line between Stratford-upon-Avon and Long Marston linking to the Cotswold Line at Honeybourne. It identified a benefit-to-cost ratio of (BCR) of 2:1 for the reopened route.
Railfuture was also represented on the steering group.
Rail Line Reopening - St Andrews Rail Link
Railfuture's Fighting Fund added £500 to the £2,000 already contributed by Railfuture Scotland to produce a case to reopen the railway line to St Andrews.
Then in March 2024 Railfuture's Board agreed £5k to support campaign group StARLink to commission a land value capture study.
Rail Improvements - Lea Valley
In 2012 a joint bid for £5,000 by the London and South East regional branch and the Railfuture-affiliated Chingford Line Users Association, and supported by the branch's Eastern division, was rewarded with a grant to support lobbying for various improvements to the Lea Valley line of specific benefit to Waltham Forest. A report by JR Consulting was presented to CLUA's AGM in June 2012. See Eastern for further details.
One of the key proposals from the Railfuture-funded report was the reopening of Lea Bridge station. Thanks to the business case that Railfuture funded, this was opened by Rail Minister Claire Perry MP in May 2016.
Rail Improvements - Wealden line, Uckfield-Lewes-Sussex coast
In March 2013 the Fighting Fund made an award to engage JR Consulting to start building a strategic alliance of stakeholders to promote a bigger better Wealden railway, including reinstating the Uckfield - Lewes rail link.
This has been followed up with further awards for Railfuture's Thameslink 2 concept.
New / Reopened Rail Stations
Railfuture has awarded £500 towards a case being produced for the Beattock Station Action Group in Scotland.
Up to £10,000 was awarded towards a GRIP3 study for a station at Magor in Wales.
Rail Defence
Railfuture awarded £200 to East Suffolk Travel Association (ESTA) towards its campaign against the relocation of Lowestoft station, from its ideal location, 400 metres away from the sea-front in order to release railway land. This campaign was won.