17.10.16
Lack of increased capacity ‘hugely disappointing’ in new CrossCountry contract
The government missed an opportunity to reduce overcrowding on rail services into the West Midlands when it extended Arriva’s contract to operate the CrossCountry franchise, a local transport leader has stated.
Arriva promised improvements, including strict punctuality targets, extra seats and free wi-fi, after the DfT formally announced last month that it will continue to operate CrossCountry until 2019.
However, Cllr Roger Lawrence, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) transport lead, said that the promised improvements would lead to just 150 extra seats a day, which wouldn’t be sufficient to meet demand on the network.
“This is hugely disappointing given the continuing growth across the West Midlands rail network and the fact that there has been almost no increase in the capacity provided by the Cross Country rail franchise since 2008-09,” he added.
“With many Cross Country trains already full to standing on peak services into and out of Birmingham, this is a critical issue – especially as the next franchisee will not be in a position to introduce additional trains until the early 2020s.
“The services are overcrowded now – we can’t wait until the next decade.”
Cllr Lawrence said extra capacity was needed on all key CrossCountry routes into the West Midlands, including services from Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent; Oxford and Reading; Burton, Nottingham and Derby; Tamworth, Leicester and Nuneaton; and Cardiff and Bristol.
He supported introducing a Midlands Rail Hub, stating that it would provide new rail connections from Bordesley (Camp Hill line chords) to Birmingham Moor Street, as well as more platforms at Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill.
Cllr Mark Winnington, chair of West Midlands Rail (WMR), which will be jointly specifying and managing the next West Midlands rail franchise from October 2017, said that WMR had already secured a new West Midlands regional service from Stoke and Stafford to Birmingham.
This will start running in December 2018, taking some of the pressure off CrossCountry services from Manchester.
Cllr Winnington added that WMR authorities, including the WMCA, are also talking to both short-listed bidders for the new West Midlands franchise about opportunities to provide new services that could further relieve capacity on CrossCountry routes.
London Midland and West Midlands Trains are competing for the West Midlands franchise after MTR Corporation West Midlands withdrew its bid.
Both WMR and WMCA have also called for CrossCountry services between Birmingham and Derby, Nottingham and Leicester to be brought into the West Midlands franchise after the contract expires.
(Image c. EDDIE)
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