Most overcrowded railways to get £2.5m extra seats boost

Extra seats will be added to some of Britain’s most overcrowded train services, the rail minister has announced.

Chris Heaton-Harris said £2.5 million of government funding will pay for CrossCountry to operate trains with more carriages.

Services running from Birmingham to Nottingham, Leicester and Cardiff will get more than 5,000 additional seats per week from May.

A further 15,000 weekly seats are planned for other routes, such as Cambridge-Stansted Airport, from mid-2021.

The carriages will come from West Midlands Trains, which is receiving new rolling stock.

Just 58% of CrossCountry passengers are satisfied with the level of crowding on trains, the latest major survey by watchdog Transport Focus suggested.

This was the second-lowest score of all operators, above only TransPennine Express, which received 57%.

CrossCountry operates longdistance trains, with routes from Penzance to Aberdeen.

The funding follows the Department for Transport’s decision last summer to extend the Arriva-owned operator’s franchise to October 2020.

Investment will also be made to expand CrossCountry’s seat reservation service to most services.

Mr Heaton-Harris said: “Investing in transport is essential... as we look to modernise our rail network and restructure the industry to put passengers at the heart of the railway.

“But we want to fund benefits to address pressing needs and improve journeys for passengers in the short-term, as well as in the future.

“More seats mean more people can travel, increasing access to opportunities and better connecting our regions.”

CrossCountry managing director Tom Joyner said: “This delivers the biggest increase in seats for our services in more than 13 years, helping customers enjoy a relaxing and comfortable journey every day.

“These improvements will deliver an immediate boost for rail users in the Midlands.”