Express & Star

Express & Star Comment: It’s time to deliver on railways

The region's new railway operator really could not have picked a worse day to launch.

Published
The West Midlands Railway train

A thick blanket of snow, weather warnings and severe travel disruption would not have been high on the wish list of bosses at West Midlands Trains for their first day in existence.

Conditions were so bad that staff were unable to get to work.

And both Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, and rail minister Paul Maynard managed to miss the formal unveiling ceremony at Birmingham's aptly named Snow Hill station.

Thankfully, when one of the brand spanking new grey, purple and orange trains pulled into the station, it did so 'on time'.

The launch of WMT has been hailed by ministers as a significant boost for the region, but many people are likely to reserve their judgement for the time being.

The plans are certainly bold enough.

We are told that £1 billion investment in services is on the horizon, with 413 new carriages in the next four years, more than 1,000 extra parking spaces at stations, free Wifi on all major services by 2021, and £60m on improving stations.

Tellingly, there will also be a compensation package for people who are delayed for 15 minutes or more.

This expenditure is long overdue.

To put it bluntly, the rail network in the West Midlands has been an absolute shambles for decades.

Conditions have been so bad that many people would rather brave the region's gridlocked roads that risk attempting to get a train.

The fact is that our railways have become synonymous with packed carriages, delayed or cancelled trains and over-priced tickets.

If ministers really want to encourage more people to consider the train as a legitimate mode of transport for the 21st century, then these planned improvements must be brought in as quickly as possible.

This is particularly true when you take into account the extortionate and completely unjustified price rises that are due to come into force next year.

We are constantly told that rail is vital to our economic revival, but there needs to be major improvements across the board if passenger numbers are to increase.

The British people expect – and demand – better services.