Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, has urged London Midland and the Department for Transport to look into increasing capacity for peak service trains travelling through South Staffordshire to Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
Gavin has been contacted by a number of frustrated commuters who are concerned with the lack of parking at local stations and the increasing capacity of peak time trains.
Across the West Midlands there has been significant growth in passenger numbers. Last year there were 45,3000 passenger journeys through Birmingham train stations in the afternoon peak hours of 4-7pm up from 40,5000 in 2014. Nationwide, rail journeys have doubled in the last 20 years, the growth in passenger demand in the West Midlands is even fast than the national average.
During a recent consultation on the new West Midlands franchise saw concerns with capacity as one of the top priorities for passengers. The Department of Transport have since insisted any new franchise for London Midland which will affect this line and the line serving Landywood, Bilbrook and Codsall to increase capacity by more than 30%.
Currently, London Midland deploys all available train units during peak times and is limited to its current fleet to operate services as there are no additional suitable diesel trains available to lease.
Commenting on the issue Gavin said: “This is not a new issue for commuters in South Staffordshire. The service, especially at peak time trains, is grossly inadequate. I have used the service myself during busy commuter periods and it is clear that from the level of demand, the service needs serious improvement.
“It is obvious from the figures over the past few years that the number of rail journeys undertaken are increasing at a substantial rate. I welcome the fact that the Department for Transport have listened to passengers’ concerns and have insisted on a 30% increase in capacity in peak capacity over all Birmingham services for the new franchise. Passengers deserve a better service than the one they are currently receiving.”