A multi-million pound investment in the region’s railway network will benefit Staffordshire enormously, says economic leader.
Nearly £1 billion will be put into the region by a new franchise to operate trains in the West Midlands will include:
- A two trains per hour service between Birmingham and Rugeley, via the Chase line from December 2018;
- A new hourly service from December 2018 between Birmingham and Crewe, via Stafford, Stone, Kidsgrove and Alsager;
- 100 new carriages on the ‘Cross-City’ line which begins in Lichfield;
- Four services an hour between Lichfield and Lichfield Trent Valley Monday to Saturday by December 2018;
- More Sunday services across the network;
- Compensation if trains are delayed by more than 15 minutes;
- Free wi-fi on mainline routes;
- At least one ticket machine at every station.
Vice chairman of Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Economic Growth Mark Winnigton, is the vice chair of West Midlands Rail, a consortium of local authorities responsible for managing local rail services in conjunction with the Department for Transport.
Councillor Winnington said: “We work very hard in Staffordshire to provide the physical and IT infrastructure needed for residents and businesses to thrive and stay connected with the rest of the country and wider world. The deal announced today with West Midlands Trains Ltd can help ensure we have a network that can better support the regional economy while delivering services that are focused on the needs of passengers.”
The new franchise, a consortium of Dutch firm Abellio and the two Japanese companies East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui, will take over the region’s rail services in December and run it until March 2026.
Passengers are already due half of their money back for delays of more than 30 minutes and an entire refund for more than an hour, but for the first time the deal will see passengers entitled to 25 per cent compensation if their train is delayed by more than 15 minutes.
Around £60 million will be invested on station improvements across the area, including 1,000 new car park spaces, including some at Kidsgrove, 2,500 cycle park spaces, a cycle hire scheme, new and refurbished waiting rooms, more seats at stations and improved access for those with mobility problems.
Mark Winnington said: “Staffordshire and other local authorities in the West Midlands have played a direct role in specifying what the new franchise should deliver to make a real difference to people’s lives.
“This supports our determination to provide the conditions for new businesses to thrive and for existing ones to prosper, bringing more good jobs to Staffordshire.”
