"I am the Rail Development Officer for the Cambrian Railways Partnership 0CRP), which is made up of Arriva Trains Wales, Ceredigion Count Council, Gwynedd Council, Powys County Council, Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council and Shropshire County Council.

I am based at the Railway Station in Machynlleth which provides an ideal insight on to how the industry works, both the challenges and opportunities. It's been a steep learning curve (which I'm still on) as previously my understanding of the railway was merely as a passenger. My job is focused on two key areas of work:

Firstly, promoting the Cambrian railways, both the Coast Line from Machynlleth to Pwllheli and the Main Line between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.

This means developing and implementing an annual Marketing Plan to encourage train travel by a range of passenger markets. The main objectives of the Marketing Plan being to develop the rail journey as an attraction in its own right - a 'must do' activity and for expanding the traditional holiday season to support the wider local economy.

I also work with the key industry partners including Arriva Trains Wales, Network Rail and the Welsh Assembly Government to achieve local aspirations in terms of improvements to services and facilities, ranging from an hourly service on the Main Line to a reduction in stepping height at stations such as Aberdovey and increased shelter facilities to accommodate passenger growth at stations such as Tywyn and Welshpool.

Delivering the Marketing Plan includes a wide range of activities such as arranging familiarisation trips for journalists, placing adverts in papers and tourist guides, undertaking media work including television and radio interviews, distributing press releases as well as all aspects of producing and distributing a wide range promotional material. Here are some specific projects that I've been involved with delivering:

Cambrian Credit Card Timetables

The Cambrian credit card timetable provides a summary of the journey opportunities available on the Cambrian network in an easy to use and keep format. This credit card timetable is the established timetable of choice for a number of passenger markets including commuters, business travellers, students as well as visitors.

Tocyn TAITH Rover

The Tocyn TAITH Rover is an integrated zonal bus and train ticket for North Wales. The zones are loosely based on the Local Authority boundary areas but as these don't exactly correspond the ticket was not well known or understood - least of all by visitors to the area. The CRP therefore went about developing a publication that easily showed by means of a map a selection of valid journeys that can be made using a £6 two zone ticket. These included excellent value for money days out allowing travel on both the Cambrian Coast and Conwy Valley railway lines.

Catch the Big Trains to meet the Great Little Trains of Wales

The CRP identified that a substantial number of the Great Little Trains of Wales (GLTW) operated in close proximity to its railway lines. The CRP set about investigating opportunities to develop this unique selling point for the railways mutual benefit. The CRP negotiated a generic 20% discount for passengers visiting the GLTW arriving by train on the understanding that it undertook the work of developing, producing and distributing a publication that would raise awareness of the offering.

Llŷn Travel Guide

The Llŷn Travel Guide, which is currently in its 4th edition, provides comprehensive public transport and active travel information for the Llŷn Peninsula in an easy to follow format. The publication has a low unit cost price and is therefore regularly updated as timetables change. Finance for this publication is secured from a fund administered under the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation of the area as in example of how a transport related publication can be developed.

Cambrian Coastcards and Posters

The Cambrian Coastcards are a series of A5 sized postcards promoting train travel to and in the areas served by the Cambrian railway lines. The cover of the cards show rail related poster designs from yesteryear and the reverse provides room for current rail related promotional information as well as sufficient writing space for the cards to be functional as postcards. The cards have generated considerable general and media interest and have made them an on-going cost effective element of the CRP's Marketing Plan.

The posters which have been used for promotional purposes on trains and at stations are sold at local railway stations with the proceeds going to local good causes including the Save the Town Clock Appeal in Machynlleth and the Wales Air Ambulance - since the launch of the project in August 2008 over a £1,000 pounds has already been raised.Cambrian Trailways

The Cambrian Trailways are an award winning series of branded leaflets promoting self guided linear walks between railway stations on the Cambrian network. The leaflets provide a wide range of useful relevant information on the routes themselves including an attractive and detailed strip map.<

The Cambrian Trailways project has been developed to optimise increasing interest in outdoor activities, such as walking, and access to these by means other than by car. The popularity of the Trailways means that we are currently working on expanding the series with additional walks.

Cambrian Coast Gazer

The Coast Gazer launched during the Autumn 2008, to promote visitor/ leisure journeys during the off peak season, provides useful information on points of interest along the lines between Aberystwyth - Machynlleth and Pwllheli.

The design of the Gazer allows visitors to join the train at any station along the network and follow the route from there in either direction. The Coast Gazer will be followed in the spring of 2009 by a Country Gazer for the line between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.

Cambrian Champion Quiz

The children's quiz, launched for the summer season 2008, includes filling in blank spaces in the names of stations when passing through them, a railway related 'Wordsearch' and 'I Spy'.

The format of the quiz, as with the Coast Gazer, means that participants can travel all or part of the journey in either direction between Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Pwllheli and fill in the quiz as they go. Also included is a small colouring in section of a train for them to complete when they get home. The finished quiz makes a nice poster to go up on the wall to remind them of their day out - with the intention being that they'll then want to return!

Cambrian Steam Specials

I am heavily involved with the local promotion of the now established Cambrian Steam services which operate of the Coast Line during August each year - the CRP sees these services as providing an important boost to the local tourist industry and related businesses such as hotels, pubs cafes and restaurants and as such does everything it can to support these.

2 4 1

The 2 4 1 scheme is one which vastly increases journey opportunities for people who want to use public transport between Aberystwyth, Borth and Machynlleth by affording them the opportunity to travel one way by train and the other by bus or vice versa.

This scheme, which was launched at Aberystwyth University's Fresher's Fair on 22 September 2008 as part of European Car Free Day is has been a positive development in making public transport for commuting and work related travel especially more attractive than the car which in turn helps address car parking and congestion problems in Aberystwyth town centre.

www.thecambrianline.co.uk

Although I am a bit of a technophobe I appreciate that the world and society has moved on with many seeing the internet as being their main communication tool for all manner of things relating to everyday life.

In recognition of this and accepting the 'net' is a relatively low cost medium for reaching very large numbers we have developed a website for the Partnership - www.thecambrianline.co.uk which provides a wide range of information including timetables, promotions, news and advice or the best tickets as well as quotes from people in the community who we work with on various initiatives and projects.

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One of the things I enjoy most about the job be it at Pwllheli, Newtown, Shrewsbury or elsewhere is to see people picking up the publications we produce and getting some benefit from them. The sometimes considerable time spent in conceptualising ideas, gaining the necessary approvals, preparing copy, sourcing pictures, designing, translating, printing and distributing materials is all worth it when I see that people value what we have published.

It's an often made comment that people enjoy the variety of the work they are involved with - this is very true of the Rail Development Officer's lot - no two hours never mind days are the same! One minute I might be in meetings with high profile politicians lobbying for improvements and trying to secure funding while the next I'll be out delivering boxes of timetables and leaflets - very different but equally important aspects of the job.

Often because of the large geographical area to make efficient use of my time it is necessary to package not always obviously related elements of the work together.

Seldom do I achieve what I set out to achieve during a day at the office as usually something unforeseen arises that is of greater priority and needing of attention.

Being a 'one-man- band' it is a juggling act trying to keep as many balls in the air as possible and as the area I cover is so vast and that number and aspirations of stakeholders differ greatly this is no easy task!

A part of the day I really enjoy is the commute by bike to and from work as it provides a gentle break between home life and work life and is often the opportunity to think about marketing ideas and things that need to be done during the day on the way in and to remember the things that I didn't manage to do that day that now need doing the following on the way home!

I am regularly invited to make presentations to a diverse range of local groups such as the Women's Institute, Merched y Wawr and Public Transport User Groups, regarding my work and these rather informal gatherings are a great opportunity to engage with the local community to see what they think or their local railway and how they'd like to see things moving forward.

As well as reporting more formally to a number of industry related committees, community and town councils, I have along with a colleague from the Heart of Wales Line Forum, David Edwards, prepared and presented papers at national conferences on the value and increasing importance as rural rail journeys as tourism attractions in their own right. This is a good way of raising the profile of the work we do and ensuring the on-going support of key decision makers.

There are six Rail Partnerships in Wales and while there are unique elements to how they are all set up and how they operate we do work together to jointly promote the "Scenic Wales by Rail" initiative. This includes the development of a website, www.scenincwales.co.uk , publicity material as well as visits to railway stations including London Marylebone, Birmingham New Street and Moor Street and to national events such as 'Showcase Wales' and 'Great Days Out Exhibition' to distribute promotional material with a view of enticing people to Wales by train.

As well as National events I also attend a lot of local events such as street markets, fun days and shows for example to give out timetables and other material - I see these as being a very important interface to get feedback from people on the material we use as well as a way of learning what people want from their local railway.

I really enjoy the marketing element of the work as it is something that I can take forward on my own and deliver projects in a relatively short period of time.

The second element of the work which is equally if not more important to secure improvements to services and facilities can be take longer to achieve often because of the costs involved and can at times be frustrating. This said we have to continue to make the case and we are seeing a substantial amount of investment at this time on the Cambrian network.

So far as improvements to the service levels are concerned there is good news as from Monday 15 December 2008 Arriva Trains Wales operates direct train services between the Cambrian rail network and Birmingham International Airport.

This will make it much easier and more attractive for residents of Mid Wales to start their international holidays or business trips from their local railway station as well as improving access by train to events at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).

With high fuel costs and concerns about our individual carbon footprint these new services offer a convenient way of accessing a major airport and events venue by means other than the car as well as slightly easing our eco-guilt!

An added bonus for all passengers from the new train diagrams, or journey patterns, in operation is that they allow more generous turnaround times at the journeys end which in turn will significantly improve performance on the Cambrian network.

We are still working with local stakeholders as well as the Welsh Assembly Government to realise the long standing aspiration of an hourly service on the Main Line between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.

The positive thing to note is that the infrastructure, including more and longer passing loops, required to allow an hourly service is being installed presently in conjunction with a wider project to install a new signalling system (European Rail Traffic Management System - ERTMS) on the line.

As part of this enhancement works the track and platform at Dovey Junction has been raised by 0.6 of a meter which will alleviate eight out of ten instances of disruption to services caused by flooding which this part of the network has traditionally been prone to.

The CRP along with TraCC (Trafnidaieth Canolbarth Cymru - the Mid Wales Transport Consortium), Arriva Trans Wales and Network Rail are currently working together as part of the National Stations Improvement Scheme to secure enhancements to stations on the Cambrian network

So all in all it is a positive time for the Cambrian rail network and as we are seeing increasing passenger numbers from existing, such as tourism, and emerging, such as commuting and work related, passenger markets I am very hopeful that we can move forward to continually improve the level of service and other facilities on offer to rail passengers in Mid Wales. "