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Walsall set to lose out on West Midlands rail improvements claim Lib Dems

by Ian Shires on 31 August, 2016

Sutton Coldfield railway station.The Walsall area, including Willenhall and Aldridge, once again is once again set to lose out in the bid for improvements to rail services across the West Midlands claims Willenhall North’s Liberal Democrat Cllr Ian Shires.

Tory Rail Minister Paul Maynard has announced a host of extra benefits and services for passengers in the West Midlands which will include.

  • extra capacity for 20,000 additional passengers in London and Birmingham at peak times and wide range of new services to be introduced.
  • new operator expected to take over the franchise in October 2017
  • franchise bidders must set out how they will deliver more trains and more space for passengers

Whilst rail passengers across other parts of the West Midlands network are set to benefit from better rail journeys with a host of extra services under plans announced on Tuesday 30 August 2016 by the Rail Minister no mention has been made of any plans for much needed train stations at Willenhall or Aldridge. “I suppose the one saving grace in all of this is the mention of a direct Walsall to London service but even that seems to be restricted to peak travel times only” said Cllr Shires.

Bidders for the new franchise will be required to deliver hundreds of extra services, new ticketing options as well as increased capacity. The publication of the invitation to tender details the minimum level of improvements bidders hoping to secure the next franchise will need to include in their detailed proposals.

Benefits will include:

  • space for more than 20,000 additional passengers to travel into London and Birmingham in the morning peak though the introduction of longer trains
  • more than 300 extra Sunday services across the franchise by 2021, including 50 new services in each direction between Birmingham and Longbridge and the same between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield
  • more evening services from Birmingham to Lichfield City, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Whitlocks End and Dorridge and later Saturday last services from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, Bromsgrove and Liverpool
  • a new hourly service from Birmingham and Wolverhampton to Crewe via Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent
  • free Wi-Fi on all main line services by the end of 2019
  • new ticket options for part time travelers which provide better value options for customers who travel fewer than 5 days a week
  • new direct peak time services between Walsall and London
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