Telford MP Lucy Allan told to contact rail operators herself in bid to improve services to Birmingham
Newly-elected Telford MP Lucy Allan has been told to contact rail operators herself if she wants to see improvements in the service between the town and Birmingham.
Ms Allan asked Patrick McLoughlin MP, the Secretary of State for Transport, if he would "take steps to improve the frequency and speed of rail services between Telford and Birmingham".
At present services are run by London Midland and Arriva Trains Wales and two trains run from Telford to Birmingham every hour.
The first leaves at seven minutes to the hour and takes around 35 minutes.
The second service leaves at eight minutes past the hour and takes around 47 minutes as it stops at smaller stations such as Shifnal.
In a written reply, Claire Perry, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Transport, said Ms Allan "may wish to contact the operators to explore what options may be available to achieve quicker journeys in the short-term".
She added: "If the train operators believe that the demand exists for additional services (which may have quicker journey times) and they have the rolling stock, staff availability and they can obtain the required track access rights, there is nothing to stop them from running more frequent services.
"Local councils can also help specify and fund transport solutions if they decide that this is the best way to meet local transport needs."
