Coventry's fast trains to London could be cut to improve journey times from Birmingham

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Department for Transport is suggesting fewer trains should stop at "intermediate" stations to speed up journeys and cut overcrowding



The government has suggested cutting the number of fast trains between Coventry and London – just to speed up journey times between the capital and Birmingham.

Plans to chop the number of long-distance services that stop at “intermediate” stations such as Coventry and Rugby are revealed in a government consultation on the future of the West Coast Main Line.

It is another potential blow to the city which is already set to be bypassed by the controversial multi-billion pound HS2 project which will build a new high-speed line through Warwickshire to link London to Birmingham and the north of England.

The latest consultation has been launched because a new contest for the West Coast Main Line InterCity franchise, currently run by Virgin Trains, is to begin later this year.

It is a chance for rail users to have their say on how the new franchise should operate, but the government has included proposals of its own and it’s bad news for Coventry and Warwickshire.

The document makes it clear that the focus of the service is long distance services “between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales, Glasgow and Edinburgh.”

The recommendations have been described as ‘very worrying’ by one transport organisation which says the government should be encouraging increased services to smaller stations.

James MacColl, campaign manager from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The demand for rail is increasing on the West Coast Main Line and capacity needs to increase.

“If the questions in the government consultation are about which stations are missed out, or which services are reduced, that’s completely the wrong strategy.

“If that’s the point of view that’s being investigated it is very worrying. It’s not just about getting from Manchester or Birmingham to London. It’s not going to do anybody any good if the services in between aren’t improved.

“They need to focus on enabling more people to get on trains that want to. That means more trains, more carriages and more stations served.”

He added that the West Coast Main Line should be properly integrated with HS2 and reducing services to smaller stations was counter-productive to that aim.

Mr MacColl said: “People can use HS2 to get from London to Birmingham. That means the West Coast Main Line needs to be used more for intermediate stations.

“If those dots aren’t joined up, it undermines the case for HS2.”

The train company which wins the franchise will be announced in November 2017 and will begin operating in 2018.

Notes in the consultation document say that “High levels of crowding and difficulty moving through the train have been highlighted as key concerns for passengers.”

And it suggests that more West Coast Main Line services should miss out “intermediate” stations.

It says: “We are interested in understanding whether there may be opportunities to adjust the level of service at stations which might enable wider benefits to be delivered elsewhere.

“For example reducing the number of stops required at intermediate stations (each stop could increase the overall journey time by several minutes) could enable reductions in the overall journey time to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool or Glasgow or for potential new journeys to be offered.”

The consultation document, published by the Department for Transport, promises that train operators will be expected to make it easier to transfer from “long distance” services, stopping at Birmingham, and “local” services.

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Ministers see Coventry as ‘an inconvenience on way to Birmingham’, says MP

COVENTRY is viewed by the government as ‘an inconvenience on the way to Birmingham’, says an MP who has tabled a Parliamentary motion over the threat of losing inner-city trains.

A public consultation launched by the government which could see rail services between Coventry and London reduced has been criticised by Coventry MP Jim Cunningham.

The Department for Transport consultation launched on May 10 this year proposes reducing the number of stops at ‘intermediate stations’ on the West Coast Main Line.

The intention is to reduce journey times from London to Birmingham.

Questioned tabled by the Labour MP for Coventry South in the House of Commons highlight the number of passengers travelling from and to Coventry railway station have nearly trebled in the last decade.

In 2004/5 the estimated number of passengers travelling to Coventry was 1,175,998, compared to 3,126,444 in 2014/15.

Mr Cunningham said: “It is simply unacceptable that the government has launched this consultation which proposes scaling back rail services to Coventry when actively promoting the HS2 project which bypasses the city entirely.

“This is a time where passenger numbers to and from Coventry station are increasing so dramatically year on year.

“Even maintaining services at the current level would see us moving backwards in a few years due to increased demand.

“The government talks about a ‘West Midlands Engine for Growth’ but makes every action to the contrary.

“If Coventry is expected to continue to grow and succeed we need more regular rail services with greater capacity, not less.

“By entertaining these ridiculous proposals the government has shown that it views Coventry as an inconvenience on the way to Birmingham.”

Mr Cunningham has also tabled a ‘early day motion’ in Parliament which calls on the government to safeguard regular rail provision at those stops set to be bypassed by the High Speed 2 project.

The consultation entitled ‘Future of InterCity West Coast rail franchise’ is due to close on August 2, 2016.

Coventry City Council cabinet member for business, Jim O’Boyle, is among those who have called on Coventry people to have their say in the consultation, in opposition to the proposal to cut trains in and out of the city.

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Ministers see Coventry as ‘an inconvenience...

That has always been the way.

Coventry has always been a thorn in the side of those that seek to rule us. Anyone care to remember the Coventry tool-room rate? Set the standards that all others aspired to. It had to be (and was) destroyed.

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Rail minister promises to listen to Coventry and Rugby concerns over West Coast Main Line cuts

The Government has promised to listen to concerned West Coast Main Line commuters after it published controversial plans to cut services to Coventry, Rugby, the Black Country and Birmingham International.

Rail Minister Claire Perry said the Department for Transport had launched a consultation into the plans - and nothing had been decided.

And she urged rail-users to speak out and tell Ministers what sort of service they wanted.

She issued the pledge in the House of Commons as MPs from across the West Midlands attacked plans to reduce overcrowding on trains by missing out stations.

Ms Perry told MPs that the Government was ready to listen.

She said: “A very legitimate question that is asked in the consultation is causing alarm and has been raised several times.

“It is right to ask people, communities and local authorities what sorts of trade-offs they want. Do they want faster journey times? Do they want more connectivity?”

She said Government Ministers and officials “could sit and design timetables that look perfect on paper, but unless they deliver what is required on the ground - a train service that works for those who use it and maximises the economic potential of transport, which are things that have to be pulled through locally - we will not be doing a service to the communities that we serve.

“Questions such as ‘what would a reduced service to Coventry look like?’ are genuinely questions; there is no vision or master plan. We want as many people as possible to help answer these questions, and those trade-offs are vital.​”

Speaking in a Commons debate attended by the Minister, a number of MPs criticised the idea of cutting services.

Coventry South MP Jim Cunningham (Lab) said demand for journeys to and from Coventry had increased. He said: “It is interesting to note that journeys to and from Coventry have tripled over the past decade, from 2.35 million in 2004-05 to 6,252,888 in 2014-15.”

The full consultation document, and details of how to respond, is online here.

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Friargate and City Centre South schemes under threat from reduced rail services plan



Two flagship projects, which will see hundreds of millions of pounds invested in Coventry city centre, cannot be delivered if rail services between London and Coventry are reduced.

Coventry council’s Labour leader George Duggins issued the warning over the future of the Friargate and City Centre South projects during a full council meeting on Tuesday evening.

He said the schemes could not be “taken forward” if rail services between London and Coventry were cut from the current level of three high speed trains an hour.

Fears over the future of Coventry’s train services have grown ever since the Telegraph revealed government proposals to reduce the number of stops at “intermediate stations” as it tenders for an operator of the West Coast mainline from 2018 onwards and seeks a way of speeding up journey times between London and Birmingham.

But Coun Duggins told colleagues during a debate into the issue that any reduction in train services threatened the £100m Friargate project around the train station as well as the £300m City Centre South project in the area of the city centre nearest to the station. He added that he had raised the issue directly with Greg Clark, the government’s local government secretary.

He said: “The Department for Transport (DfT) regard us as an intermediate station, and I have to say that’s a problem.

“It also regards Birmingham International as an intermediate station and it regards many of the other stations in the West Midlands in exactly the same way.

“We have to get across the fact, and I’ve said this to Greg Clark, frankly, without maintaining the three express trains an hour, then we will not have the opportunity to take the devolution deal forward in respect of Friargate and City Centre South.”

He added: “If colleagues want to know what that means, go to Nuneaton station and spend an hour there and see what happens. If you want to travel from Nuneaton you would have to set off very early because the trains are about once an hour.

“We don’t want that to happen in Coventry. We still want, and need, the same level of service.”

Conservative Coun Gary Ridley, who put forward the debate on the issue, also raised concerns about the two major developments.

He said: “Friargate is based on developers being able to reach out to other areas of the country. Improved service to Birmingham and the north west must not come at the expense of Coventry.”

His views were backed by Conservative deputy leader Coun Gary Crookes, who said: “If there’s one express train an hour to Coventry what is the future for Friargate, what is the future of the development of City Centre South?

“We want our city to grow. We must fight to make the DfT understand. Coventry is the engine house of the West Midlands, why should the government look to torpedo the engine house?

“That’s not how we will have success with the devolution deal or the combined authority.”

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I suspect that this is just the excuse needed to pull out of yet another Council cock-up.

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Fast and regular Coventry rail service to London vital, says city council

Fast and regular rail connections to London are vital if Coventry is to grow, the city council has warned.

Coun Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, is campaigning to retain the current service of three fast trains per hour from Coventry to Euston.

The call comes as part of the council’s response to the Department for Transport’s (DfT) consultation for the InterCity West Coast franchise.

Cuts could come on the back of government proposals to reduce the number of stops at what are being described as “intermediate stations” as it tenders for the operator of the West Coast mainline from 2018 onwards.

Both Coventry and Birmingham International rail stations, as well as Rugby, have been classed as “intermediate”.

Coventry council leader George Duggins recently warned Coventry’s Friargate and City Centre South projects, between them totalling investment of £400million, could be under threat if rail services between Coventry and London were reduced.

Coun O’Boyle has pledged the council will fight to avoid a reduction in InterCity West Coast services at Coventry.

He said: “One of our great strengths is how well connected we are.

“Our railway station is also the fastest growing station outside of London and it has a critical role to play in our work to attract new investment and create new jobs.

“As a minimum we want to ensure that the franchise for trains between Coventry and London meets the current standard of three fast trains per hour.

“We will be making a strong case for the three fast trains to remain and for improvements to the service.

“It’s not acceptable that we could see fewer trains stopping at Coventry to speed up the connection between London and Birmingham.

“The department’s own vision says the new franchise needs to enable economic growth, support investment and build on high levels of customer satisfaction. We will be trying to hold them to this.”

In its submission the council is urging the DfT to consider ten ‘priorities’.

The first two are to retain three fast trains per hour between Coventry and London Euston with a journey time of an hour or less and the same linking the city to Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street.

The council also wants to see the retention of one train an hour to Glasgow or Edinburgh and an assurance that HS2 works due to start next year will not have any detrimental effect to trains between Coventry and London.

Other commitments being sought include guarantees on the delivery of a masterplan to develop and improve Coventry rail station, improvements for passengers generally in terms of facilities and customer service, performance improvement targets for services and simplifying and improving the ticket buying process.

The council also wants to see a re-balancing between first and second class accommodation, the introduction of fare structures to encourage off-peak travel and local authorities being given a say in the development of the West Coast mainline post-HS2.

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One of the many 'unintended consequences' of becoming part of Greater Birmingham? - I suspect that there will be many more such instances as we become a suburb of Birmingham.

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Transport chiefs blast proposed Coventry train cuts as "wholly unacceptable"

Proposals to cut the number of inter-city trains through Coventry are “wholly unacceptable”, West Midlands transport chiefs have told the Government.

The idea to reduce services at so-called intermediate stations has been suggested in a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation on how the next franchise for the West Coast Main Line could operate.

Other such stations include Wolverhampton, Birmingham International and and Dudley,

The reduced services are among options put forward in the DfT’s Inter City West Coast (ICWC) franchise consultation.

They are aimed at increasing capacity on the line, speeding up journey times for long distance passengers and improving the region’s services to London and Scotland after the existing franchise, which is held by Virgin Trains, expires in 2018.

But Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), has now sent a formal response to Government opposing the option and setting out its own suggestions for meeting ever rising passenger demand.

TfWM warns that reducing inter-city services to the stations would damage the West Midlands economy and make it almost impossible to commute between some of the region’s key cities.

Coun Roger Lawrence, transport lead on the WMCA, said: “While we recognise the pressing need to squeeze more capacity out of the existing line it should not come at the expense of fewer inter-city services at key West Midlands stations. That would be wholly unacceptable.

“Nevertheless, we need to meet rising passenger numbers and support economic growth until the arrival of HS2 can relieve the pressure and that’s why we have suggested a number of alternative options.”

Options put forward by TfWM in its response included:

- Longer 10, 11 or even 12 car trains to replace or extend the existing five and nine car services

- Better management of on-train capacity to avoid passengers standing in the middle of the train when there are seats available nearer the front or back

- Consideration of further changes to the balance of first and standard class allocation without damaging the core business travel market

- Changes to the fare structure to address the significant difference between peak and off-peak fares and make more effective use of available train capacity

The response also calls for the existing three trains per hour service between the West Midlands and London Euston to be retained with no restrictions to existing calling patterns.

Recently introduced direct services from Milton Keynes, Coventry and Birmingham International to the North West and Scotland must also be retained as these have provided opportunities for new national connections including better access to Birmingham Airport.

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John Lewis boss Andy Street 'will protect Coventry train services' if elected West Midlands mayor



John Lewis boss Andy Street says he will defend Coventry’s under-threat train services to London if elected West Midlands mayor.

He was speaking to the Telegraph during his first interview since announcing he would be looking to head up the new West Midlands Combined Authority.

Voters will go to the polls in Coventry, Solihull, Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Wolverhampton to elect a mayor to take charge of transport and strategic planning on May 4, 2017.

Mr Street is set to be announced the Conservative Party candidate to lead the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) at the party conference on September 29.

The mayor will chair the new WMCA which will take on responsibility for funding of £36.5million a year over 30 years to spend in infrastructure such as better roads or rail links, and more.

Are you committed to ensuring Coventry’s train services to London are not cut?

“Yes. It’s absolutely illogical that the access to the West Midlands, the first station in the West Midlands from London, a city of this size does not have the quality of service it has now.

“It’s a huge economic advantage to Coventry that it is relatively quick to London. That must be protected.”

Empty promises!