Thank you to everyone who has written to me about services between Water Orton, Coleshill, and Birmingham.
I have spoken to many constituents about these services and need for improvements. That’s why I launched my commuter survey to get passengers’ views and to push for action. You can complete my survey by clicking here.
Residents rely on the train service for travel to and from Birmingham for their livelihood, as well as leisure. I have had several meetings with CEO of Cross Country since I became an MP to stress this and the need for additional services.
Expensive fares are one of the biggest issues constituents raise with me, which is why I am absolutely delighted the government has chosen to freeze rail fares this year – for the first time in 30 years. That means that prices will be going down once inflation is factored in, which should give a real boost to the many commuters who are struggling with the cost-of-living.
I also strongly support the government’s plan to renationalise our railways, so they can once again by run in the interest of passengers, not corporate profits.
A number of residents contacted me when Cross Country cut the weekday 7.35 service from Water Orton to New Street and the 16.09 return. I immediately took this to CrossCountry to stress the impact this was having, and was pleased that during our conversations they confirmed the service would be reinstated from December 2025, along with new additional services from Water Orton towards Birmingham departing at 18.10, and two new services returning to Water Orton from Birmingham at 20.52 and 22.22. I am pleased that CrossCountry listened to my call for additional services to serve Water Orton.
But, having visited Coleshill and Water Orton stations in September to carry out my rail survey in person, which also ran online, commuters told me about other issues they had with their journeys. Something that came up repeatedly was a lack of space and seating on trains at busy times to and from Birmingham, requiring more carriages.
I have put this to CrossCountry and asked that they provide more carriages on these services. Whilst they told me that this would not be possible in the short term, I will continue to push for this to happen, both with CrossCountry and the Government as part of key upcoming decisions for rail services.
So please rest assured that I will continue pushing for improvements to our railways and commuter services.