London Midland promises £13m of improvements with contract extension
Rail company will continue to operate lines between London, the West Midlands and northern England and pledges better security, cleanliness and free wi-fi
Birmingham-based rail operator London Midland has won a renewal of
its contract to run rail services between London, the West Midlands and
northern England and is promising a raft of improvements.
The announcement by the Department for Transport extends London Midland's contract to October 2017.
The
company said passengers would benefit from more services, free WiFi,
improved performance and better ticketing among many changes it was
planning.
In total, £13 million worth of improvements are planned
over the next 18 months which include two extra evening services on
weekdays from London to the Trent Valley and earlier services to central
Birmingham on Sunday mornings from surrounding towns including Rugby
and Lichfield.
There will also be new Sunday services from
Longbridge, Dorridge and Whitlocks End to Birmingham and free wi-fi on
long-distance routes between London Euston, Northampton, Birmingham,
Crewe, Stoke and Liverpool.
London Midland said it was aiming for free wi-fi on all services when the next fully competed franchise started.
It
will also have to meet new targets to increase cleanliness, install
CCTV on cross-city Birmingham services and equip station staff with
tablets to improve the information given to customers.
The firm
will be required to work with the Smart Cities Partnership to introduce
'smart' ticketing on trains, building on the existing Swift smartcard
scheme, to provide seamless and more convenient journeys.
Managing
director Patrick Verwer said: "Winning this contract is a great
endorsement of how London Midland is focused on improving our
passengers' journeys.
"Since 2007, we have invested nearly £300
million in trains and stations. Over the last two years, we have
significantly improved performance - cutting both delays and
cancellations.
"This new franchise offers some very exciting
opportunities and will bring benefits touching every element of our
passengers' journeys."
