Shropshire Star

Passenger numbers rise for London Midland

Passenger numbers on London Midland trains, which serve the Black Country, Staffordshire and Shropshire, are up by four per cent for the year to July 1.

Published
London Midland passenger numbers are up four per cent

Revenue for the train operating company, part of the Go-Ahead group will be ahead by 4.5 per cent for the year.

Go-Ahead said London Midland's financial performance remained strong with revenue and passenger numbers growing ahead of the wider industry.

It is awaiting the Department for Transport's announcement on the outcome of the West Midlands franchise competition, for which we London Midland is shortlisted along with one other bidder. It has held the current franchise which ends on October 15 since 2007.

The group, which is behind strike-hit Southern Railway, has warned over fresh disruption for long-suffering Southern passengers ahead of next week's planned union action.

Go-Ahead runs Southern through its Govia Thameslink Railway business and said while the service has "stabilised" in recent months, the train driver overtime ban set to start on June 29 would cause more "unnecessary disruption" for customers.

Passenger revenues for the year to July 1 are expected to drop by around four per cent on its GTR service, with passenger journeys also down four per cent.

The group said: "There has been no significant industrial action on Southern services in the last five months and, consequently, service and performance levels have stabilised, allowing the company to deliver more reliable rail services to customers.

"Disappointingly, the Aslef union has called for an overtime ban for Southern train drivers which, if it goes ahead, will result in unnecessary disruption for customers."

Go-Ahead said it "remains fully committed to resolving these issues to provide improved services for customers and reduce uncertainty for our stakeholders".

The firm alerted over profits in February after a year of crippling industrial action, revealing full-year rail profits could be impacted by up to £15 million amid ongoing uncertainty over union relations.

The group said in its latest update that it remained in talks with the Department for Transport over potential penalties for breaching its contractual obligations but said the outlook for rail profits remains the same.

Southern has been involved in a bitter dispute with unions over proposals for so-called driver-only operated trains, with conductors holding several strikes in the past year, while drivers have separately walked out due to the row.

Go-Ahead also revealed in its update that passenger growth has continued to slow for the Southeastern line, with passenger journeys expected to be down 0.5% in the year to July 1.

The Southeastern line has been put out to tender, with Govia - Go-Ahead's joint venture with French firm Keolis - among those firms so far on the bidding list.

Despite the fall in passenger journeys, Southeastern passenger revenues have risen by around 3% on the service.

Bus revenues are expected to be around one per cent higher, with passenger journeys flat, partly as a result of some routes being cut to "match passenger demand and reduce costs", according to Go-Ahead.