Shropshire Star comment: Train firm falls at the first hurdle
The new operator running local rail services has got egg on its face almost before it's begun.
West Midlands Trains pledged to introduce a raft of improvements this December – now it's backtracked and accepted these won’t be in place until next May.
While they deserve some measure of sympathy – the delays are largely as a result of the chaos that came about when a number of railways operators tried recently to introduce new timetables – they have failed to manage public expectation. In some ways, they have fallen at the first hurdle.
For the plain fact is this: the general public who use railways don’t much care which organisation is in charge, they simply want good value services to take them from A to B in relative comfort, without delays or overcrowding and with the minimum of fuss.
They also want clarity from railways operators on timetables and other information that might affect their journey. It is really not too much to ask.
West Midlands Trains made a number of claims regarding improvement and investment and it is to be hoped they deliver on those promises.
However, as many suggested when they took on the franchise, they will be judged on actions, not words. The general public has reasonable levels of expectation that are focused on service delivery: It is for West Midlands Trains to deliver.
Many will be disappointed that they will have to wait five months for improvements to take place. Our railways are not cheap. Fares are relatively high when compared with those in other parts of the world.
And railways operators ought to provide value for money as they seek to attract people away from the roads and onto their tracks. Making promises that are broken at the first opportunity is not a good way of going about that.
Of course, the delays to improvements is part of a much wider picture – and one that West Midlands Trains is not responsible for.
The Government was remiss in failing earlier this year to adequately manage a shake-up in timetables. Many networks failed, the system descended into farce.
West Midlands Trains has a tough job on its hands and we wish it well. We will be monitoring how it fares.
