Chiltern Railways launches new Mainline service
COMMUTERS in Birmingham and Warwickshire benefit from improved rail services to London today following the launch of a revamped timetable by Chiltern Railways.
The company has invested around half of its £250m improvement programme in upgrading the service between Moor Street and Marylebone.
The new timetable sees journey times to the capital slashed to between 90-100 minutes.
Chiltern has also introduced what it claims is a cheaper fare structure and improved its business class in an effort to attract new business users.
The new service had been due to start in May but was pushed back due to over-running engineering work.
The company has also invested £25m improving Moor Street Station, the concourse harking back to its Edwardian origins. Of this, £14m has been spent reopening platforms 3 and 4 to accommodate more trains.
Adrian Shooter, chairman of Chiltern Railways, said: “The completion of the regeneration of Moor Street and the opening of the new platforms is a major milestone towards the launch of Chiltern Mainline.
“We believe the launch of Mainline will transform travel along our route, meeting the needs of both existing and new customers across the West Midlands.”
Chiltern has made no secret it wants to compete with the Virgin route from New Street and offer commuters in Birmingham a viable alternative.
The rail company is also hoping to lure passengers from Birmingham suburban areas such as Solihull and Dorridge, where Chiltern has taken over the branch stations.
