Hello everyone. I'm John Burch and part of the team that run the Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Rail Association. For those of you who do not know, the Tarka Line is the name given to the secondary route between Exeter and Barnstaple. In normal parlance it is the North Devon Line. I've been involved as a Community Rail volunteer since October 2008 and became Chair of the group in 2010. I have occasionally lurked here and had a look at some of the messages, but have not, until now, actually joined the group. I thought it might be useful to be part of the group in case I can answer any questions or comment on any items appropriate to my bit of the world.

My day job is with the bus and coach industry as I work for the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the Government recognised trade association for the industry. I don't see this as a conflict of interest as I believe that inegration between road and rail is very important and have done as much as I can to raise awareness of this aspect of the industry. I work between my home in North Devon (I live in the old Stationmaster's house in Ilfracombe), CPT's London base near Covent Garden and a variety of locations throughout the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) so try and practise what I preach and use public transport whenever I can. I am a regular user of the rail network and hence my interest in getting involved.

If I can be of any use to contribute anything here, then so much the better. However I'd just like to say that time isn't always on my side so my opportunity to dip in to the board may not be as frequent as I'd like, but I'll do my best to respond to things from time to time.

Thanks for letting me join in!