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Passengers'Complaints About Late Trains，Overcrowding and Cancellations on London Midland
A survey of rail passengers published by the government reveals complaints about London Midland services.
Rail passengers have accused a key Midland's rail operator of letting them down with overcrowded trains，frequent delays and poor communication with passengers.
The damning complaints were published in government guidance for bidders interested in taking over the London Midland franchise，which runs 1304 trains every weekday and takes in￡287.5 million a year from passengers in fares.
Local councils warned that the franchise“is of critical importance to the economy of the West Midlands region”and will be“essential”for supporting ambitious regeneration projects across the region.
But the government document includes the highly critical findings of a study by Passenger Focus，the transport watchdog，which asked passengers what they thought，by holding a series of focus groups.
The London Midland Franchise，which is also officially known as the West Midlands Franchise，provides local services within Birmingham and across the Midlands including trains to Stratford，Hereford，Shrewsbury，Lichfield，Walsall，Coventry and Rugby.Long-distance services run to London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street.
The document warned:“Areas where passengers feel the service falls short and where improvement is most desired include overcrowding on the train，the frequency of disruption and delays，and a lack of communication about disruption at stations.”
Delays and Cancellations
The document said:“Passengers across the network report frequent delays and cancellations，especially commuters who often experience short delays of around five to ten minutes.”
It added:“Some passengers have been left waiting as delayed trains'skip intermediate stations in order to make up time.”
And it warned:“Poor weather and staff shortages are perceived to be frequent，often unacceptable，excuses for delays.”
Overcrowding
Passengers are angry about overcrowding on trains，the prospectus warned.It said:“Passengers report problems with overcrowding and difficulty moving through the train on many lines during peak hours.Their belief is the situation is worsening with nothing being done about it.”
Lack of Late-night Services
The watchdog found that train frequency was“adequate”but it added:“There are perceived to be too few services later at night and at the weekends and a lack of services during large-scale events.”
Poor Communication
And while London Midland staff are seen to be helpful and friendly，they did not always have the information passengers need，the watchdog said.
It warned:“They are considered to lack up-to-date knowledge.During disruption they are not always able to provide adequate information about the problem or its impact.”
A New Franchise Begins in 2017
The Department for Transport has produced a prospectus for rail operators interested in running the service when the existing franchise expires in 2017.
Govia，a joint venture between British firm Go-Ahead and French business Keolis，has run the line since 2007，using the brand name London Midland.
Rail Network Is Vital to the Economy
And the document also warned that improving services was crucial to boosting the economy of the West Midlands.
It included a submission from the new West Midlands rail authority called West Midlands Rail，which includes local councils.In the long term，councils hope to break the West Midlands Franchise into two，separating the long-distance services to London and Liverpool into a separate service and allowing them to take responsibility for rail services within the West Midlands.
West Midlands Rail said:“The franchise is of critical importance to the economy of the West Midlands region and its services will be essential for supporting the ambitious regeneration proposals that local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships have.”
“Many of the regeneration plans rely on good connectivity with the rail network.”But it warned:“West Midlands Rail recognises that there are some significant challenges that the successful bidder for the franchise will need to overcome if the current and future passengers are going to receive the best possible service.”
West Midlands Rail highlighted a series of schemes which depend on rail connections to succeed，including new homes and offices at Longbridge，Birmingham;the“UK Central”development near Birmingham Airport，which includes 2000 new homes;the new HS2 station in Birmingham city center;the redevelopment of Telford town center;a new transport hub in Wolverhampton;and Malvern Science Park.
MP Gisela Stuart(LabEdgbaston)said:“What passengers need are prices which are justified by the service they are receiving，a pleasant environment and reliable trains.
“In my experience，you often have overcrowding on services at the moment.”
Improvements Are Planned
The existing franchise was due to end in April 2016 but last week Transport Minister Clare Perry announced it was to be extended until October 2017.
This is a result of delays to the entire rail franchising programme across the country which followed the collapse of the West Coast Main Line franchise contest in 2012.
In a statement to the Commons，Mrs.Perry said passengers would benefit from 13 million package of improvements up to 2017，including new ticket machines at some stations and free Wi-Fi on all long-distance services between London Euston，Birmingham，Crewe and Liverpool.