Young people are helping shape the future of the railway through a growing focus on inclusion and creativity.
Community rail projects in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire have earned national recognition at the 2026 Community Rail Awards.
The projects, led by the Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership (GOCRP) and Gloucestershire CRP (GCRP), received one first-place and two second-place awards for initiatives that engaged underrepresented groups to improve rail transport and travel confidence.
The Youth Transport Forum took first place in the Involving Children and Young People category.
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Hannah McDonnell, executive director of GOCRP, said: "Young people are the next generation of rail travellers, and they told us exactly what they need to travel with confidence. We gave them the tools to turn that into evidence that decision-makers and our industry partners can consider and where possible act on.
"Having these projects recognised is really significant to us and demonstrates the importance nationally to ensure more voices are heard and that confidence is built where it is most needed."
Eleven young delegates from Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire took part in workshops to identify barriers to public transport and propose solutions, such as better bus and cycle connections and targeted travel education. Their work informed the 2025 Youth Transport Report, which is now being used by regional and industry partners.
GOCRP said its next phase will focus on supporting young people who might not yet have the travel confidence to access jobs and work experience.
Great Western Railway’s senior community impact manager, Emma Morris, said: "We’re incredibly proud of the work GOCRP and GCRP have delivered across Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.
"Their projects continue to demonstrate the real impact of community rail partnerships, and it was fantastic to see them receive such well-deserved recognition at the Community Rail Awards 2026."
Second place in the Empowering Diverse Groups category went to the 'Exploring LGBTQIA+ Gloucestershire' project, which documented LGBTQIA+ experiences of public transport through stories, mapping, and surveys.
The project culminated in an exhibition at Cheltenham Station during Pride Month and a travel needs report.
The stories and resources are now archived at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub.
GCRP also earned second place for Most Effective Communications Campaign with 'The Story Express'.
A collaboration with Aurora Children’s Theatre funded by CrossCountry Trains, the project saw 27 young people develop geo-located audio stories to accompany a real train journey between Cam & Dursley and Ashchurch for Tewkesbury.
Bethan Jelfs, regional director at CrossCountry, said: "We were delighted to support The Story Express with GCRP.
"This project showed that a creative idea, backed by young people's energy, can change how families feel about rail travel."
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