A CAMPAIGN to reverse the cancellation of a vital early morning train to Birmingham from Worcestershire Parkway has been launched by local Liberal Democrats.
After dozens of residents voiced concerns to Crosscountry Trains to no avail, an open letter calling on the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander to intervene on commuters behalf has been launched.
It requests support from the Department for Transport (DfT) to get Crosscountry to reinstate the 7.37am service on the premise that the DfT can hold the company accountable for delivering timetables that do not meet the needs of passengers.
Councillor Dan Boatright-Greene, county representative for Pershore said: “Since the changes to the timetable in May, I have been receiving emails from residents who have been struggling to get to work.
“Several have missed key appointments and one has been told they need to consider their position because they cannot reliably get to work on time.
“We have seen a huge and welcome increase in the use of train travel in recent years, with the car park already at capacity for much of the day.
“Due to the expansion of Pershore and many surrounding villages, we have seen an influx in commuters, many of whom work across the county and West Midlands. Birmingham remains a key place for people to work.”
He said the loss of the 7.37am train was having a detrimental impact on many commuters which he personally experienced when he went to get the next earliest train, at 8.14am only for it to be cancelled.
“The next departing train into Birmingham leaves at 8.26am, arriving at 8.55am allowing passengers only five minutes to arrive at work for a traditional 9am start. This is not acceptable and is causing havoc for many commuters. The trains are full to the brim, and it is clear the current situation is not sustainable.”
When contacted by the Observer, a Crosscountry spokesperson said: “Developing a timetable is a balancing act and we work hard to deliver convenient but reliable services across all of our routes.
“We removed our 7.37am departure from Worcestershire Parkway to Birmingham as part of our strategy to deliver a more reliable timetable across our network.
“We appreciate all feedback on our timetables and looking forward, we hope that a more resilient timetable will mean we can review the reintroduction of the 7.37am service in future.
“Until then, there remain two alternative services for passengers at Worcestershire Parkway that arrive in Birmingham before 9am.”
Visit https://www.westworcslibdems.org.uk/bring-back-737 to sign the letter.
