County rail passenger numbers rise
Tuesday 24th March 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
The number of passengers using principal train stations in Telford and Shrewsbury are on the increase new figures have revealed.
Top of the line is Shrewsbury station where the number of passengers rose by 8.5 per cent, to 1,460,495, in 2007/8.
The rise in Wellington was almost as impressive, with 388,808 using the station over the last year, an increase of 6.5 per cent.
Telford Central’s rise was 2.5 per cent, with 799,039 passengers using the station in 2007/8, according to the new figures from the Office for Rail Regulation.
Peter Hughes, West Midlands spokesman for the railways promotion group Rail Future, said the figures showed the railways offered a good service.
“People who use the railway clearly appreciate it,” he said.
“Credit also has to go to the Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway for instituting a direct service to London which was timetabled last year. That will have no doubt have contributed to the extra passenger numbers.”
Thomas Ableman, Wrexham & Shropshire marketing director, said: “Any rise in rail travel is good news for us and we are pleased to hear we have the support of Rail Future.”
A crunch meeting was due to be held today between a cross-party delegation of MPs headed by Shropshire’s Owen Paterson and the Government’s rail minister to discuss improvements to the direct service from Shropshire to London.
North Shropshire MP Mr Paterson, will lead a delegation of politicians, including Ludlow MP Philip Dunne, Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski and Lembit Opik, Montgomeryshire MP, to see transport minister Lord Adonis to help bring improvements to the current Wrexham & Shropshire service.
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thanks largely due to the excellent new services offered by the Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone.
Well done!!
John Case.
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Good to see that shropshire people are using the improving train services. With more investment this increase will increase. Not suprising that the increase is greater at Wellington than Telford as there is free car parking at Wellington station.
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That’s not surprising at all. Nor is it news. I’ve seen between forty and eighty people regularly each morning waiting for commuter trains from Wellington towards Birmingham, and it was similarly busy when I was at Uni in that city catching the train in the morning…seats were nonexistant!
Of course, someone might like to tell W&S this, since they seem to believe nobody catches the train at Wellington :P
Having seen 25 people waiting for their service the other week, I definitely beg to differ…
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I would like to know what the train companies are doing about manning the stations properly and dealing with nuisance passengers and ticketless travel?
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great news from an environmental perspective
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The increase at wellington is due tho the pleasant friendly staff who are always ready to help customers. Thanks to the staff at wellington.
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Wrexham & Shropshire train co have done a great job with no public subsidy too, lets help them nurture this business by all ‘use it or lose it’ and not let the subsidised companies like virgin move in and steal their passengers
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Well done to all involved in this success story.
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We can’t have this. Put the prices up.
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I think WSMR should stop at Birmingham new street, I have saw the train go through Birmingham new street and Coventry, I live in Coventry (used to live in telford), and I would catch the train from coventry to Telford, it saves changing when I come to see family. scrap the new Virgin trains service, keep it local and affordable.
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Why ‘train station’ all of a sudden? It’s the kind of thing a child would say. Railway station has been used for years – let’s get back to it please.
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surely with rising passenger numbers, prices should go down, it must have relatively fixed costs, whether the train is half empty or full, so the more people, the more profitable and the cheaper it should be
right?
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Stephen Sanders said:
“Why ‘train station’ all of a sudden? It’s the kind of thing a child would say. Railway station has been used for years – let’s get back to it please.”
That annoys me as well – but give them time – it’ll be “railroad depot” before you know it!!
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don you have no idea of economics, in the private sector its about profit maximisation for share holders just because your marginal cost goes down if you can still squeeze more out of your customers you make more profits not lower prices
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“I think WSMR should stop at Birmingham new street, I have saw the train go through Birmingham new street and Coventry”
W&S cannot go via BNS and Coventry as part of their open access contract, hence they go via Tame Bridge Parkway (Walsall).
To be honest, I’m very glad it doesn’t stop at New Street, as the trains would be packed out like the Virgin ones are; I know that this is selfish of me, and that W&S would no doubt appreciate the extra custom, but I love the service the way it is, even though it wuold be quicker to change at the hovel that is New Street.
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Wonder how many of these passengers actually got a seat? (excepting W&S of course!)
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nice to have a good news story for a change
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“The increase at wellington is due tho the pleasant friendly staff who are always ready to help customers. Thanks to the staff at wellington.” (Bob)
I agree wholeheartedly. They are all extremely friendly and helpful. :)
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wellingtons a lovely station and can act a real hub for the economy of the town and a catalyst for green growth, lets hope they keep up the good work and more and more offices locate to near wellington station for an easy pleasant commute to and from work
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im so pleased we have Wrexham & Shropshire in our town, lets hope they grow and grow
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Of course, someone might like to tell W&S this, since they seem to believe nobody catches the train at Wellington .
The problem WSMR have at Wellington is not lack of custom, it’s due to punters boarding their services for the short ‘hop’ to Telford central but not bothering to buy a ticket from the Ticket office. The worst culprits are the hoards of schoolkids boarding the 1607 HRS Salop to Marylebone, the Guard simply does not have time to issue so many tickets during the 5 minute journey. That why the Wellington stop is being dropped from May on the 1607 HRS ex Salop. Plus instead of having to slow down, stop, restart & the accelerate back up to line speed they can sail through at 50 MPH – should save around 5 Minutes – it all helps!
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& yes I totally agree that the term should be ‘Railway Station’ not ‘Train Station’, in the same way that an airport is called an airport & not a ‘plane port’ or ‘airfield’ as opposed to ‘plane field’!!!!
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