PERSHORE’S MP Harriett Baldwin met up with local transport campaigners to identify ways to improve train services for town residents.
Mrs Baldwin met with Pershore’s mayor Bob Gillmor and the Vale Transport Group to discuss latest developments on the future of services for the town’s vital rail link.
The group reviewed a briefing on the recent service issues which have seen trains to Pershore delayed or cancelled and discussed plans to try and improve the station car park capacity.
“It is clear that services to and from Pershore have really gone downhill in recent months, and anyone who uses this station will know how annoying it is to be faced with randomly irregular services,” she said.
“I am told that the delays are often down to the lack of drivers who have not been properly trained to drive the new trains – that’s just poor planning and poor management by Great Western Railways.
The Observer reported in February how furious members of the Vale Public Transport Group, comprising representatives from town and parish councils, called on the county’s MPs including Mrs Baldwin to urge Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to bring Great Western Railway, who operate the Cotswold Line franchise, to account
Commuters were left irate in February when Great Western Railway cancelled a staggering six services between Worcester and London in one day with with six more trains terminated or starting at Worcester and failing to serve Malvern and Hereford.
Peak time morning commuters into Worcester from Evesham, Pershore and Honeybourne were hit by the cancellation of their train on every single day the week before with replacement bus services failing to appear or running extremely late.
“The situation is made even worse by the fact that there really aren’t a lot of places to wait if a train is delayed or cancelled especially in bad weather and I hope to meet with Network Rail shortly to work out what we can do to make the experience better for local people,” Mrs Baldwin said.
“We need to make much better use of the station and I continue to back the Wychavon District Council plan to build a brand new car park connected by a new footbridge and hopefully a new café – adding extra capacity and better resources for rail users.
“With many more people now living and working in Pershore, we need to make sure people can make more use of the train station and help to take the pressure off the local road network.”
