West Midlands railway travel warning as trains get busier

West Midlands railway travel is expected to mean much busier trains and stations over the bank holiday weekend. Passengers in the West Midlands and Chiltern area are being warned to plan ahead. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The pressure on rail services is expected to come from several factors at once. The Network Rail media centre cites strike action, Birmingham Pride, warmer weather and bank holiday activity.

West Midlands railway travel affected by reduced services

Industrial action affecting West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway, also known as WMR and LNR, will lead to significantly reduced services. The changes apply across all of their routes on Friday 22 May and Saturday 23 May. Other operators’ services are expected to carry more passengers on both days.

Stations and trains on routes into and out of Birmingham New Street, Snow Hill and Moor Street are also expected to be busier than normal. Tens of thousands of people are due to attend Birmingham Pride. Warmer weather is also expected to bring more people into the city centre for daytime and evening activities.

WMR and LNR are advising passengers to travel only if their journey is necessary. They are also asking customers to allow more time. Other operators, including CrossCountry, Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways and Transport for Wales, are asking customers to plan in advance and check their journey before travelling.

Passengers intending to travel from Friday 22 May to Monday 25 May can check services with their train operator or through National Rail.

Operators urge passengers to check before travelling

Martin Colmey, Operations Director for Network Rail’s Central route, said:

“Bank holidays are always busy on the railway but strike action significantly reducing WMR and LNR services will mean other operators will be even busier than normal.

“It’s an exciting weekend with Birmingham Pride taking place and we want everyone to travel safely in and out of the city centre. Always plan your journey, check before you travel and allow plenty of time.

“Importantly, if you are travelling home late, know your last few trains and don’t rely on the very last one which might be too busy to safely board.”

Michael Stewart, Commercial and Customer Strategy Director at Chiltern Railways, said:

“Our services and stations in the West Midlands, particularly at Birmingham Moor Street, Solihull and Dorridge, will be significantly busier this bank holiday weekend.

“With tens of thousands of people heading to the city on Saturday and Sunday for Birmingham Pride, please check before you travel, plan ahead and take a bottle of water with you due to the expected hot weather.”

Jonny Wiseman, Customer Experience Director for WMR and LNR, said:

“We advise our customers to only travel if necessary on Friday and Saturday due to the impact of industrial action on our network. Some routes will have no service and customers who choose to travel on other lines should allow extra time for their journeys. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

CrossCountry’s Service Delivery Director, Nick Westcott, said:

“Across the West Midlands, we’re expecting a very busy Bank Holiday weekend with much-increased travel demand. We’re working closely with industry partners to get people where they need to be, but trains are likely to be much busier than usual. We ask customers to plan ahead, check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys.”

Avanti West Coast’s Customer Experience Director, Kathryn O’Brien, said:

“Working in collaboration with our railway partners, we are advising customers travelling into Birmingham New Street this Bank Holiday weekend to check their journeys in advance. With tens of thousands of people expected to head into the city to celebrate Birmingham Pride and enjoy the warm weather, train services may be busier than normal.”

Sarah Higgins, Operations Director at Transport for Wales, said:

“Transport for Wales will be running its normal timetable over the bank holiday weekend, but some services may be much busier than usual due to industrial action at West Midlands Railway affecting Shrewsbury to Birmingham and Hereford to Birmingham services on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 May.

“With high temperatures also forecast, customers are encouraged to take extra care when travelling, check for the latest travel information using the TfW website, mobile app, or social media channels, and to stay hydrated.”

Water advised during warmer bank holiday weather

Temperatures are forecast to rise sharply over the weekend. They could potentially reach 30 degrees Celsius. Passengers are being urged to keep hydrated and bring water when they travel. Free water fountains are available at Birmingham New Street.

The latest travel information is available from train operators or through National Rail.

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