Chiltern set to deliver improved journey times from Birmingham
COMMUTERS in Birmingham and Warwickshire are set to benefit from a multi-million pound upgrade to rail facilities in the area.
Chiltern Railways has invested around half of its £250m improvement programme in upgrading the service between Moor Street and Marylebone.
The benefits will be felt in less than a month when a new timetable is introduced for trains running between the two stations. The new timetable is in preparation for the introduction of new, faster trains which will begin operating the Chiltern route from May.
Adrian Shooter, chairman of Chiltern Railways, said he was very excited by the developments.
“There are going to be changes taking place to Moor Street Station within the next weeks in preparation for the upgraded services which will begin using the station next year. New timetable changes will become effective next month but the full service will not be operational until May,” he said.
“The new services should see journey times between Moor Street and Marylebone slashed to 90 minutes making them comparable to services between New Street and Euston.”
In addition to better trains, the rail company is also taking over the operations of Solihull and Dorridge railway stations and is planning a number of upgrades in advance of the new services.
Track infrastructure has been improved as part of the £250m investment while there has also been an upgrade to rolling stock to make the trains more attractive to customers.
“We consulted with our user groups to ask them want they wanted from a modern rail service,” said Mr Shooter.
“As a result we have introduced a number of changes. The fare structure has also been scrutinised to ensure we remain competitive and offer our passengers value for money.”
The company is also targeting business users, which are likely to offer the company the best margins. However, bargain fares will still be offered to cater for leisure travellers.
The rail company is also looking to utilise modern technology and will be offering services such as barcode readers for tickets to make travelling easier.
The remainder of its £250m investment is being ploughed into improving its services between Oxford and Marylebone.
It plans a new station, although this is still some years away, together with a park and ride facility. The intention is to make Oxford to Marylebone journey times around an hour.
