New rail timetable to create more reliable Chase Line service

Monday, 2 December 2019

Passengers using the Chase Line between Rugeley and Birmingham will benefit from a more reliable service when the new West Midlands Railway timetable comes into effect later this month.

The new timetable comes into operation on Sunday 15 December, bringing with it a number of changes aimed at improving the reliability of services across the region.

Currently two trains per hour originate from London Euston and make their way via Birmingham New St to Rugeley Trent Valley. In the new timetable one of the trains to Rugeley per hour will originate from Wolverhampton instead of London, reducing the likelihood of services being affected by disruption further south. Changes are also being made to calling patterns to services on the route between Coventry and Birmingham New St to reduce the chances of congestion on the line.

Trains will also run on the Chase Line on Sunday mornings for the first time in three years following the conclusion of major improvement works.

Richard Brooks, head of customer experience for West Midlands Railway, said:

"The new timetable we introduced in May brought in new journey opportunities and allowed us to carry more passengers but it also introduced complexity which has impacted on reliability.

“Passengers on the Chase Line have been particularly impacted. The changes we are making this month will simplify the timetable with more services starting and finishing within the West Midlands. Further changes are on the way next year to make even more improvements.

"Allied with the additional carriages coming into service across our network, passengers across the West Midlands should start to enjoy a more reliable service on their trains."

Passengers are advised to check their journeys by visiting www.wmr.uk

About West Midlands Trains

For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email [email protected]

West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.

• London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.

• West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.

For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.

West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.

The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com

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