RSC urges GWR to provide Stratford improvements

The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust have written a joint letter to Great Western Railway Managing Director Mark Hopwood, urging him to improve services between London and Stratford-upon-Avon should GWR retain the Great Western franchise.

In the letter, sent on August 7, the RSC and SBT ask for the introduction of direct services from London Paddington to the Warwickshire town to be included in GWR’s bid to run the franchise beyond April 2020.

They call the existing Stratford-London Marylebone service run by Chiltern Railways “woefully inadequate” for an international tourist destination, with just three direct services on weekdays and a shuttle service to Leamington provided for additional connections.

With only 6% of Stratford’s 9.8 million annual tourists currently arriving by rail, they say there is considerable scope to increase rail journeys by 402,000 a year. They say it would be worth some £22.5 million to the town’s economy.

“In October 2015 Chiltern reduced by over 50% the number of direct services to dedicate more paths to Oxford/Bicester at the expense of Stratford’s visitors and residents,” they write.

“The lack of fast, frequent or direct services is a real disincentive for people to visit the region where Stratford, rather than Warwick or Leamington, is the main draw.

“We consider that Oxford-Banbury services should be retained in the Great Western franchise and extended to Stratford and potentially increased in frequency by extending some Paddington-Oxford services further north. Stratford-upon-Avon should also be removed from the Chiltern franchise, with local services transferred to West Midlands Railway.

“We urge you as a potential bidder for this franchise to give [these proposals] serious consideration for the potential commercial benefits and reasons set out above.”

Alan Riley, Chiltern Railways Customer Services Director said: “We recognise the importance of public transport to Stratfordupon-Avon’s economy and we’re committed to providing the town with a high-quality service.

“When we made the changes in 2015, we increased the number of journey opportunities for people going to Stratford-upon-Avon by providing a regular shuttle service between Leamington Spa and Stratford upon Avon; which is comparable to GWR maximising connections to popular destinations like Henley-on-Thames.

“We have also kept direct trains at popular times of the day and we will continue working with people in Stratford-upon-Avon to develop the service we offer and they have every right to expect.”