Shropshire Star comment: Get our rail services on the right track
Boris Johnson was humble enough to accept that he’d borrowed many votes when he swept to power. And so one of the first things he might ask his team to consider is the state of the rail network here in our region.
It is simply not up to scratch, with inefficient service, substandard rolling stock, too many delays and a timetable that fails to deliver the levels that customers rightly demand.
Poor public transport has for too long led to difficulties across Shropshire and Mid Wales, as well as in the wider West Midlands region. And while there have been numerous promises and pledges, now is the time for action.
Those who use West Midlands Trains have grown increasingly frustrated of late and Andy Street’s intervention is a further escalation of the situation.
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While we have had apologies and promises to improve, there is little sign of any practical change. We have said it before, but our train service needs to improve – and rapidly. All the talk of HS2 feels particularly hollow to those in our patch when they cannot seem to get even a basic service running efficiently.
It’s not just West Midlands Trains either. As our MPs have been quick to point out, there are also concerns about the services offered by Transport for Wales in the region.
It ought not to be necessary to set out the case for high quality rail services in our region; which is one of the most populous and industrious in the UK. And yet it seems necessary, given the poor services on offer.
Without adequate public transport, people are forced onto already-congested roads. And as all those who commute daily across Shropshire and Mid Wales know all too well, that simply places additional stress on an already-stretched network.
We live in one of the world’s most advanced nations but many other parts of the world commuters have better public transport than we enjoy in the UK.
The public simply will not tolerate the low standards that have become normalised in recent times.
