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Friends of the Shakespeare Line – Voluntary Community Station Partnership

 

Welcome to the Friends of the Shakespeare Line (FoSL), a voluntary Community Station Partnership, a not-for-profit overarching organisation operated by volunteers for volunteers to support their commitment as adopters at their railway station between Birmingham and Stratford upon Avon. We are supported by a number of other organisations and individuals including the train operator West Midlands Railway Ltd.

“The future of the railways depends on the creation of a new system centred around passengers. Delivering social, economic, and environmental benefits”

 

Peter Wilkinson

Managing Director of Passenger Services

Department for Transport

Using our railway stations
Making railway stations more relevant to the community

This is the website for the first ‘Community Station Partnership’ in the UK

 

We are a volunteer-led community partnership, investing our time and energies to enhance the twenty-two local stations between Birmingham and Stratford upon Avon.

 

We aim to help underpin the national efforts to restore confidence in rail and attract visitors to the scenic and fascinating Shakespeare Line.

 

The Friends of the Shakespeare Line (FoSL) is about delivering public benefit. Our mission is to work with the Train Operating Company, Network Rail and other regional partners to help make our stations more relevant to the locality, more passenger-centric and welcoming to visitors by providing a greater amenity and wellbeing.

Friends of the Shakespeare Line is about delivering Social Value. 

 

We work with and obtain support from regional partners and individuals to enable volunteers (station adopters) to make our railway stations more welcoming to visitors, more relevant to the locality, more engaging for passengers and supportive of the local economy and environment.

Community rail hero recognised with Coronation Champion Award

Fraser Pithie, Chair of the Friends of the Shakespeare Line is one of the five hundred recipients of this award...

Friends of the Shakespeare Line - Easter 2023 Update

Friends of the Shakespeare Line - Easter 2023 Update

 

The update sets out some brief details of several things going along the Shakespeare Line, including the recent station platform improvements at Tyseley, the commencement of the renovation and repurposing works at Henley in Arden station and other information about passenger usage and other improvements occurring along the railway between Birmingham and Stratford upon Avon.

Friends of the Shakespeare Line Annual Report 2022

Friends of the Shakespeare Line Annual Report 2022

 

The report sets out the scale and range of activities, from over 10,000 volunteer hours and also records heart-warming comments from the volunteers and an impressive array of endorsements from British Transport Police, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway and West Midlands Rail Executive.

Friends of the Shakespeare Line Annual Report 2021

22

Destinations

23

Miles

80

Volunteers

6

Trustees

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