Anger over West Midlands Railway chaos due to 'lack of train crew'
There is disruption to trains in Birmingham and beyond today. West Midlands Railway, which runs services across the region, reported problems on Sunday, September 29, due to a lack of crew.
There were issues on the operator's busy Snow Hill line. It meant chaos on routes covering Birmingham, Walsall, Lichfield, Worcester, Kidderminster, Stratford, Leamington Spa, Redditch and Nuneaton.
Bosses said teams were working to provide cover for trains where possible. People were being told to use the National Rail real-time planner for the most up to date information about their journey.
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West Midlands Railway said: “Due to an anticipated lack of available traincrew at key locations across our network today, we are unfortunately expecting disruption to train services. We advise customers to check your own journey - including potential connections via other operators - on the morning of travel to see which services are going to be affected.
“On [some] routes we will have rail replacement road transport buses on standby at key locations to cover large gaps in services of over 60 minutes [and] to help keep passengers on the move. Please note that capacity onboard will be limited compared to trains and journey times extended.”
Ben H was among social media users who complained. He said on X: “Your drivers and conductors have pleaded poverty for the last two years yet when they get the pay rise they want they can't be bothered to turn up for work. It's every weekend, it's disgraceful.”
It comes after West Midlands Trains, which runs West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services, prepares to be stripped of its contract. Earlier this month, we reported Labour intends to bring services back into public ownership.
While a full contract won’t expire until September 2026, the end of the company's “core contract” means the Government has the power to terminate any deal with just 12 weeks notice. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh is expected to act as soon as new laws complete their passage through parliament.
She previously said: “For too long our broken railways have failed passengers day in day out with delays and cancellations. That’s why I am laser focused on overhauling the railways and wasting no time in bringing train operating companies back under public ownership where they belong.
“As soon as our public ownership bill is on the statute book, we will be starting the process of public ownership by serving notice on these operators. [That will put] an end to our wasteful and fragmented privatised railway and deliver for passengers.
If your journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more, you may be entitled to delay repay compensation. People can find more information on the West Midlands Railway website.
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