Demand for improved rail service from new town
MPs have demanded better rail services from Telford to Birmingham as they warned that commuters suffer slow and overcrowded trains.
Telford is only 27 miles west of Birmingham but the journey by train takes 47 minutes.
Telford MP Lucy Allan called for fast services running straight from Telford to Birmingham, and for more carriages to be added.
She said: “The train chugs along reluctantly, stopping at every little Shropshire village that it passes along the way, and often it has only two carriages, which will inevitably be full to bursting at peak times.”
Along with Mark Prisk, MP for The Wrekin, she took the case for better trains to the House of Commons.
Ms Allan told ministers that Telford, a “new town” in Shropshire, was meant to be self-sufficient when it was planned and built in the 1960s and 70s. But it needed good road and rail links to thrive.
She said: “Telford is only 27 miles west of Birmingham, so we should be perfectly positioned for commuting to or leisure activities in Birmingham.
“We are next to the UK’s second largest city and should be able to capitalise on that opportunity, yet it takes us 47 minutes to get from Telford to Birmingham by train.
“We have only two trains an hour, and they are spaced so that if we miss the one at eight minutes past the hour, we have to wait 45 minutes for the next train.”
The new franchise operator, West Midlands Trains, had promised to provide an additional service an hour, she said, but there was more to do.
Mr Pritchard also highlighted the poor state of stations along the route.
But Transport Minister Jesse Norman said the new West Midlands Trains franchise included £700 million of investment in new and refurbished trains, including 400 brand-new carriages.
He said: “The line from Telford to Birmingham will also be transformed thanks to changes to the timetable, enhancements to station facilities and additional rolling stock. In December 2018, West Midlands Trains will create a regular all-day half-hourly service between Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, calling at Telford. It will run from Monday to Saturday, and will complement the existing hourly service provided by the Wales and Borders franchisee, Arriva Trains Wales, making three trains per hour overall.”