Telford MP Lucy Allan meets rail minister over 'shocking' rail services

Ms Allan met rail minister Andrew Jones to raise the concerns of Telford residents about local railway services.

Delays, cancellations and overcrowding have hit the Telford to Birmingham service regularly from July last year, leaving many commuters stranded or unable to travel.

The Tory MP has also met bosses from KeolisAmey, which took over the Transport for Wales franchise from Arriva Trains Wales last year.

The railway operator has previously pledged to invest £5 billion in services over the next 15 years.

It will also introduce new rolling stock from 2022 and will increase passenger capacity.

The second operator serving Telford, West Midlands Trains, is preparing to deliver an additional hourly service in May.

Ms Allan said: "We have seen a marked deterioration in our train service dating back to July last year. I have been meeting with the train operators and other partners to try and improve this situation and I have also been raising the matter in Parliament.

“Telford is a significant contributor to the West Midlands economy and we need a long term strategy for our rail connections, as well as a solution to address the current overcrowding and delays being experienced by commuters. The service is truly shocking.

Random

“I am pleased that the minister listened carefully and has agreed to raise my concerns with the train operators. The extra hourly service in May will help, but random cuts to the number of carriages on a regular basis are simply unacceptable.

"Commuters are really suffering and no one seems to be listening. We need to see all local partners joining together to speak out about the poor service that we currently experience.”

“I want to see our council supporting my efforts to bring the operators into line and deliver a decent service. And I want to see our Council working constructively, not just with the local MPs but with the West Midlands Mayor and the West Midlands Rail Executive. I will continue to push on this important issue.”

Rail minister Andrew Jones said: “I would like to thank Lucy for our meeting. I know she has a great record of campaigning for Telford, and we certainly saw that in the meeting. We discussed several issues concerning the rail services in the area, including the timetable and the rolling stock – above all, how to deliver a better service for rail passengers.

“The next steps will be for actions from the meeting to be progressed, and I look forward to working with Lucy in the future.”