Mark Todd

Rail operator Arriva has agreed to examine timetable changes to its Willington service after Mark's intervention.

 

Last December, Arriva - whose operator Cross Country had taken over Central Trains - launched a revised timetable which cut services between Willington, Nottingham and Birmingham .

 

At the time there were 10 services from Willington to Birmingham, which were cut to four. And its nine weekday services to Derby and Nottingham were also reduced to four.

 

The company promised that key commuting services would be preserved and passengers would be served even if their regular train happened to be cancelled. However, a number of constituents contacted Mark to complain.

 

At the time, Mark, who is South Derbyshire MP, asked CrossCountry to survey passengers at Willington about the new service. This survey has now been completed, which shows that the evening services to Willington were not convenient.

 

The rail operator told Mark that it is now looking at making some timetable alterations.

 

Mark said: "The company made substantial cuts in the number of trains stopping at Willington earlier this year. At my urging they have now surveyed the passengers using the remaining service. The service runs between Nottingham and Birmingham and offers a limited morning and evening stop at Willington to serve primarily commuters. I suggested that an accurate survey of users might identify optimal service times which would maximise commuter usage – if the train leaves Nottingham too early, for example, you may miss commuters finishing at a particular time.

 

"The survey has shown that I was correct and that a small adjustment in the evenings would make the remaining service more convenient. They are now considering a timetable adjustment.

 

"While the cuts were unwelcome usage at Willington over large parts of the day was very low indeed. The overwhelming majority of use was in the evenings and mornings. Getting the times right for stops is critical to making the service usable by commuters. This news is welcome. I will be both aiming to ensure the adjustment is made, and that we build on this progress. A well-used, popular commuter service can provide a platform for extension. "