Railfuture encourages all rail users to join their local Rail User Group, which represents users' interests to the local
train operator to improve services and stations in their area. If there is no rail user group locally, Railfuture can help you to set one up!
Many rail user groups are affiliated to Railfuture, which provides a forum in which they can exchange ideas and experiences, co-ordinate rail development priorities, and contribute to the case for better rail services locally and nationally. Railfuture can help
affiliated groups to work together to achieve common goals and can provide support through our
Fighting Fund. Two presentations given by Railfuture director Stewart Palmer (formerly MD with South West Trains) at our Summer 2018 conference on
Lobbying train operators successfully and
Building relationships with train operators show how Railfuture can help rail user groups to campaign more effectively.
Even if their RUG is affiliated, we welcome RUG members to also
join Railfuture to campaign for wider national rail issues.
The following list all known rail user groups (RUGs) and rail reopening campaign groups (RoCs) throughout Britain, in alphabetical order or by Railfuture branch area:
- View or download RUGs National A-Z list (1010kb PDF. August 2019)
- View or download RUGs Regional/Branch List (957kb PDF. August 2019)
- View or download RoCs National A-Z list (874 kb PDF. August 2019)
Inclusion on the lists above does not necessarily mean endorsement by Railfuture.
Affiliated groups are listed in the table below.
The often-unsung successes of Rail User Groups were recognised and rewarded for the very first time on the national stage in Railfuture's inaugural
2012 RUG Awards, and again in
2013,
2014,
2015,
2016,
2017, and
2018. The Judging Panel of Railfuture Vice-Presidents had met in October 2018 to decide the winners from among the entries for the 2018 Awards, which had closed in early-September. Results were announced by Vice-President
Stewart Palmer when he made the presentations at our national
Reading conference on Saturday 10 November 2018.
There will be no Awards in 2019 owing to a re-scheduling of Railfuture's national events. The next Rail User Group Awards are being planned for presentation at the Annual General Meeting in 2020. The monthly
Rail User Express will carry updates.
The
RUG Awards page brings all our more detailed coverage together.
Affiliated groups
| Devon & Cornwall |
Ashburton Rail Users' Group |
| Combe Rail (Ilfracombe branch project) |
| Connect Bude |
| East Anglia |
East Norfolk Transport Users' Association (ENTUA) |
| East Suffolk Travellers' Association (ESTA) |
| Felixstowe Travel Watch |
| Fen Line Users Association (FLUA) |
| Manningtree Rail Users' Association |
| Meldreth, Shepreth & Foxton Rail User Group |
| Mid Anglia Rail Passengers' Association (MARPA) |
| Norfolk Orbital Railway (Melton Constable Trust) |
| Walton on the Naze, Frinton on Sea, Kirby Cross & Thorpe le Soken Rail Users’ Association (ONTRACK) |
| Wisbech Rail Reopening Campaign |
| Lincolnshire |
Friends of the Barton Line |
| South East Lincolnshire Travellers’ Association |
| London and South East |
Association of Public Transport Users (APTU) (Thameslink North) |
| Bedford Commuters' Association (BCA) |
| Bedford to Bletchley Rail Users’ Association (BBRUA) |
| Cambridge Heath and London Fields Rail Users’ Group (CHLFRUG) |
| Chesham & District Transport Users' Group (CDTUG) |
| Cooksbridge Station Partnership |
| East Surrey Transport Committee (ESTC) - email |
| Edenbridge & District Rail Travellers’ Association (EDRTA) - email |
| English Regional Transport Association (ERTA) |
| Hadley Wood Rail User Group (HWRUG) |
| Hatfield Association of Rail Travellers (HART) |
| Marsh Link Action Group (MLAG) |
| Marylebone Travellers' Association (MTA) - email |
| Ore Transport Group (OTG) - email |
| Plumstead and Woolwich Rail Users' Group (PAWRUG) |
| Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association (SRTA) |
| St. Leonards & Hastings Rail Improvement Programme (SHRIMP) - email |
| Sutton Rail Users' Forum (SRUF) |
| Tonbridge Line Commuters (TLC) |
| Watford Rail Users Group (WRUG) - email |
| West Sussex Rail Users Association (WSRUA) |
| North East |
Saltburn Line User Group (SLUG) |
| South East Northumberland Rail Users Group (SENRUG) |
| North West |
Blackpool and Fylde Rail Users’ Association |
| Chinley & Buxworth Transport Group |
| Cumbrian coast Rail User Group (CRUG) |
| Denton Station, Friends of |
| Furness Line Action Group (FLAG) |
| Goyt Valley Rail Users’ Association (Stockport) |
| Hope Valley Rail Users Group |
| Lakes Line Rail User Group |
| Lancaster and Skipton Rail Users’ Group (LASRUG) |
| Littleborough Stations (Lancashire), Friends of |
| Mid-Cheshire Rail Users Association (MCRUA) |
| North Cheshire Rail Users’ Group (NCRUG) |
| Ormskirk, Preston & Southport Travellers’ Association (OPSTA) |
| Support the Oldham Rochdale Manchester line (STORM) |
| Reddish South Station, Friends of |
| Ribble Valley Rail |
| Rose Hill (and Marple) stations, Friends of |
| Settle - Carlisle Line, Friends of |
| Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users’ Association (SCRUA) |
| Skipton & East Lancs Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) |
| Wirral Transport Users’ Association |
| Wrexham-Bidston Rail Users’ Association |
| Scotland |
Beattock Station Action Group (reopening campaign) |
| Far North Line, Friends of |
| LevenMouth Rail Campaign |
| Newburgh Train Station Group (Fife) (reopening campaign) |
| Rail Action Group East of Scotland (RAGES) |
| St. Andrews Rail Link (StARLink - reopening campaign) |
| Severnside |
Bridgewater Station, Friends of |
| Suburban Bristol Railways, Friends of (FoSBR) |
| Cotswold Line Promotion Group (CLPG) |
| Minehead Rail Link Group |
| Portishead Railway Group (reopening campaign) |
| Saltford Station Campaign (reopening) |
| Trans Wilts Community Rail Partnership |
| Thames Valley |
Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group |
| Marlow-Maidenhead Passengers’ Association |
| Oxon & Bucks Rail Action Committee (Oxford-Milton Keynes reopening campaign) (see also OBRAG - Oxford-Bicester RAG) |
| Witney-Oxford Transport Group (WOT - reopening campaign) |
| Wales |
Heart of Wales Line Travellers’ Association |
| Magor Action Group on Rail (new station campaign) |
| Pembrokeshire Rail Travellers' Association |
| West Wales Rail Campaign/Traws Link Cymru |
| Wessex |
Basingstoke & District Railway Society |
| Isle of Wight Bus and Rail Users’ Group |
| Lymington-Brockenhurst Line, Friends of |
| Salisbury-Exeter Rail Users' Group (SERUG) |
| West Midlands |
Cam & Dursley Transportation Group |
| Cannock Chase Rail Promotion Group |
| Cotswold Line Promotion Group |
| Rail and Bus for Herefordshire |
| Lichfield Rail Promotion Group |
| Rugby Rail Users’ Group |
| Shakespeare Line Promotion Group |
| Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users’ Association (SCRUA) |
| Yorkshire |
Aire Valley Rail Users’ Group |
| Bradford Rail Users’ Group |
| Halifax and District Rail Action Group (HADRAG) |
| Harrogate Line Supporters' Group |
| Harrogate Line Rail Users’ Group |
| Hope Valley Rail Users Group |
| Huddersfield, Penistone and Sheffield Rail Users’ Association (HPSRUA) |
| Hull and East Riding Rail Users’ Association |
| Lancaster and Skipton Rail Users’ Group (LASRUG) |
| Minsters Rail Campaign (Beverley - Market Weighton - York reopening campaign) |
| Pontefract Civic Society (rail sub-group) |
| Selby and District Rail Users’ Group |
| Settle - Carlisle Line, Friends of |
| Skipton & East Lancs Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) |
| Stalybridge-Huddersfield Rail Users' Group (SHRUG) |
| Upper Calder Valley Renaissance Sustainable Transport Group |
| Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership |
