Who I am
I’m Harry Burr – a communications professional with a long-standing interest in transport, travel and how people move around and experience places. My work sits at a crossroads of communications, stakeholder engagement/management and policy, shaped by both professional experience in the rail industry and many years of self-taught campaigning, research and advocacy from a young age.
This website brings together my projects and interests, alongside reflections on railways and the role transport and placemaking plays in everyday life.
My journey into transport, campaigning and research
My interest in transport began at a young age, driven by growing up in areas with limited public transport provision and seeing first-hand how connectivity affects opportunity. That interest became active campaigning in my early teens, when I launched what became known as the Daventry Parkway Project – a proposal to reconnect one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station back to the national rail network.
What started as a local idea grew into a wider learning experience in how transport decisions are made and how those decision-makers engage with the ideas from an early stage. The campaign attracted regional and national media attention and introduced me to the rail industry, local authorities and transport professionals.
Building on that work, I went on to found campaigning and sustainable transport advocacy group Sustainable Transport Northamptonshire, later expanding and rebranding as Sustainable Transport Midlands. The organisation eventually broadened its focus beyond rail to include buses, active travel and wider sustainable transport issues, combining community advocacy with research and policy engagement, while I also built a team of volunteers to push the mission.
In late 2023, this work evolved again into Enroute Group CIC, a not-for-profit transport research and advocacy organisation. As a co-founder and Joint Chief Executive in partnership with David Frankal, I led on communications, strategy, governance and stakeholder engagement. Enroute worked with a wide range of partners across the public, private and third sectors, producing research, statements, campaigns and commentary focused on making public and active transport better in Great Britain.
Enroute has since been wound down, but the experience remains a hugely defining part of my development – particularly in leadership and governance. I wouldn’t be where I am in my full-time work had it not been the journey between Daventry Parkway Project and Enroute.
Professional work
Alongside campaigning and voluntary work, I completed an transport planning apprenticeship at Mott MacDonald and Leeds College of Building between 2022 and 2024, gaining practical experience in professional environments and further grounding my interest in infrastructure and specifically transport planning within large organisations.
I currently work at Chiltern Railways, where manage our community relationships and support in our external communications and stakeholder-focused work across the network. My role allows me to apply many of the skills developed through my original campaigning and research – primarily focussing on clear public-facing communications.
Alongside my professional role, I continue to travel and document my journeys across the UK and beyond, including long-term personal projects such as visiting every railway station in Great Britain, among some other countries.
In the press
My work and campaigns have been featured in a range of regional, national and industry media over the years. Coverage has included:
- BBC News and Modern Railways reporting on the Daventry Parkway campaign
- Features and interviews in local press, including the Northampton Chronicle & Echo
- Industry coverage around the launch and work of Enroute Group CIC in rail and transport publications
- My attendance on Gareth Dennis’s video podcast Railnatter
- Speaking to Future Rail Magazine about my campaign and Sustainable Transport Midlands early on
Download my CV
If you’d like to learn more about my professional background or explore potential opportunities to work together, you can visit my LinkedIn profile below:
Get in touch
If you’d like to speak to me about anything, please feel free to get in touch via the contact page.