The rail lines running from Ipswich to Felixstowe and Lowestoft have been reclassified as community services.

This means that the Community Rail Partnership (CRP) will work with local people to create a train service that is tailored to the demands of the area and its inhabitants. It also enables the service operator (in this case, Abellio Greater Anglia) to offer a wider range of concessions and provide funding for small local projects.

Aaron Taffera, chairman of the East Suffolk Lines CRP, said that his organisation was pleased by the decision and hoped it would help further benefit the community in years to come.

There are already 19 CRPs that have been designated by the Department for Transport, in addition to 18 designated by the government.
Rail minister Baroness Kramer said: “It is a very practical way of helping local groups to develop innovative and more cost effective rail services for their communities, through working closely with the East Suffolk Lines CRP.”