The Government has announced a significant increase in rail services between London and Birmingham as Chiltern Railways prepares to come under public ownership. From December, trains will run every half hour between the two cities, and across the network there will be 25 extra services per day.
Chiltern Railways Transfers to Public Ownership
Chiltern Railways will become the sixth rail firm to come under public ownership when control is handed to the Government on Sunday, September 20. To handle this uplift in services, six new trains will enter service, promising better WiFi and air conditioning. This will bring the total number of trains in the fleet to 13.
The Government has also pledged £12 million to refurbish the seven existing trains used by Chiltern Railways, with upgraded Wi-Fi and refreshed interiors by 2028. The Chiltern network connects London Marylebone with areas across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
East West Rail Project Boost
Transport bosses believe that these upgrades and the bringing of previously competing rail firms under public ownership will make the East West Rail project easier to deliver. This is a major new scheme to connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, which will avoid the need for passengers to travel via London to reach these areas.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said: "From this Sunday, Chiltern Railways passengers will be travelling on rail services back in public hands. Every transfer into public ownership gives us the chance to tackle the bread-and-butter issues people care about – more frequent, comfortable trains that turn up on time. As we set up Great British Railways, we're putting passengers first. It will not happen overnight, but we will build a railway the country can trust and rely on, and that will create growth, jobs and homes."
Next Steps and Customer Benefits
Great Western Railway will be the next operator to come under public ownership on December 13, with the full public ownership programme set to finish by the end of next year.
Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, added: "Over the next 12 months, our customers in London, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands will benefit from more new trains, more services, thousands of additional seats, improvements to stations and on-board facilities and the ability to use their ticket on other operators when faced with disruption – customer improvements made possible thanks to years of planning, dedication and hard work by Chiltern colleagues."
Baxter continued: "Public ownership will further strengthen that progress through closer collaboration across the industry, helping us share best practice, drive innovation and focus on what matters most to customers, businesses and communities across our network."
