WEST MIDLANDS Railway has moved to quell the fears of Droitwich commuters concerned about a reduction in service when new three new Birmingham stations open on the Camp Hill line.
We were contacted by several people about the issue which surrounds the stations at Kings Heath, Moseley and Hazelwell.
The three stations have not been open to the public since the Second World War but will be reopening in 2021, in time for Birmingham holding the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
Adrian Wright, who commutes daily from Droitwich to University Station, said: “I aware West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is rushing through plans to open stations in Kings Heath and Moseley but without any new lines being built to Moor Street. Instead it appears he plans to redirect Worcester- New Street trains along this camp hill line as he has no spare capacity at New Street- so has to use existing trains.
“This should be a concern to all Worcestershire commuters as these trains are already horrendously overcrowded.
“Adding passengers at Kings Heath seems madness.
“I have repeatedly requested clarification for the Mayor on this but have received no meaningful reply.
“I think this would be a very important story to investigate as the needs and views of Worcestershire commuters do not appear to be considered.”
Another Droitwich resident contacted us saying she had heard the three new stations would impact on the town’s services.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Railway said there were no plans to reduce the service through Droitwich.
“In fact, we will be increasing capacity on those services as part our £1billion worth of investment into our network, which includes timetable improvements and new trains on some routes.
“Plans for operating a service on the Camp Hill lines are still in their early stages, but we are not looking to reduce services on any other routes in order to deliver this.
“We are exploring all options and continue to work closely with West Midlands Rail Executive on their public engagement around new stations for the Camp Hill line.”
Alan Humphries, from the Droitwich Spa Rail Users Group, said: “If that’s what West Midlands Railway are saying it is welcome for 2021 but what about 2018?
“The service is ridiculous at the moment.
“It was bad when the rail users group was launched in the summer but it’s even worse now.”
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