THE FORMER manager of a transport company has hit out at London Midland for the way it has organised its services between Droitwich and Birmingham.
Graham Reeve, who catches trains in between the Spa and the Second City twice a week, has criticised the rail operator for running two-carriage trains on the route that he says are almost always over-crowded.
And he added the passenger information boards constantly flashed up messages to users urging them to take the slower trains to Birmingham which travelled via Whitlock End to Snow Hill rather than New Street – a main hub for a host of other services to countless UK destinations.
Mr Reeve, who has an MSc in Transport and Logistics Management, told The Standard: “It appears to me that London Midland is, for whatever reason, trying to force passengers not to use this service as it is regularly due to a ‘policy’ of using two-carriage trains that result in severe over-crowding and some late running (possibly as a consequence of the train being over-crowded).
“These notices about using the services to Snow Hill are posted most days for both the 10.33am and 11.33am services from Droitwich, suggesting we use the 10.25am on 11am services via Kidderminster.
“Why, when the direct faster service and which of course importantly connects to the National Rail Network at New Street does London Midland use two-carriage trains on this line, yet run five to six-carriage trains on the Kidderminster / Snow Hill line?
“Whilst the press and TV are greatly and rightly concerned to report problems affecting passengers on Govia’s Southern Rail Service,
“I feel similar reporting should be given to Govia’s London Midland service on this line which additionally affects passengers travelling from the newly-enhanced station at Bromsgrove where a considerable investment has been made, in part, to permit ‘longer train formations’.”
London Midland’s head of corporate affairs Francis Thomas said the company was simply letting customers know that if they wanted a better chance of a seat on a train to Birmingham, they could board the services which travelled via Whitlock End.
He said he accepted that it would depend what they were planning to travel to Birmingham for and whether Snow Hill was convenient.
And he explained the firm could not put on anymore carriages in between Worcester and Birmingham because of a shortage of diesel train stock, adding the other route from Kidderminster had more carriages because it stopped at more stations.
“We have to look at the services and the demand for them.
“Of course the main benefit will come in October when there will be three trains per hour from Worcester to Birmingham New Street, via Droitwich and Bromsgrove.”
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