FURIOUS rail users have called for the Government to intervene over a catalogue of complete train cancellations and serious delays to rail services on the Worcester to London line since the new year.
Members of the Vale Public Transport Group comprising representatives from local town and parish councils have called on Pershore MP Harriett Baldwin, Evesham MP Nigel Huddleston and Worcester MP Robin Walker to urge Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to bring Great Western Railway, who operate the Cotswold Line franchise, to account
Commuters were left irate last Monday 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 last week with replacement bus services failing to appear or running extremely late.
A further six trains between Worcester and London were also cancelled completely last Thursday while the peak evening return service, the 5.26pm Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington, has also been among the trains cancelled on a regular basis this month.
Group secretary Helen Whitwell said; “Reliability problems dating back some considerable time on the Cotswold and Worcester-Bristol routes have been compounded since January with many cancellations of trains due, we understand, to lack of available train crew for new trains.
“These regular delays are causing serious inconvenience and hardship for customers and particularly for those who rely on the trains to get them to and from work.There is also growing evidence that many business and leisure travellers are now deserting the Cotswold Line in favour of more reliable and regular interval routes – and often cheaper off peak fares – from Birmingham or Warwick Parkway.”
“This is hardly surprising when any cancellation on the Cotswold Line can result in a three or four hour off peak gap in train services and when there appears little effort to provide alternate transport options or keep the public properly informed.”
Great Western Railway hadn’t responded to our request for a comment as the Observer went to press.
Here’s what Vale commuters faced last Monday:
0547 London Paddington to Worcester FS CANCELLED
0825 Worcester F St to London Paddington CANCELLED
0750 London Paddington to Great Malvern Terminated at Worcester S Hill
0822 London Paddington to Hereford Terminated at Worcester F St 30 mins late
1059 Great Malvern to London Paddington Started at Worcester Shrub Hill
0921 London Paddington to Worcester F St CANCELLED
1200 Worcester F St to London Paddington CANCELLED
1514 Hereford to London Paddington Started at Worcester Foregate St
1421 London Paddington to Worcester FS CANCELLED
1726 Worcester FS to London Paddington CANCELLED
1622 London Paddington to Great Malvern Terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill
1944 Great Malvern to London Paddington Started at Worcester S Hill
