Rail passengers across Coventry and Warwickshire reminded to check their train times ahead of changes being introduced this weekend

Rail passengers are being reminded to check their train times, ahead of major changes being introduced across the rail network this weekend.

West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway will be implementing new timetables from Sunday (19 May), bringing improvements for passengers.

Rail passengers across Coventry and Warwickshire will benefit from new services, quicker journey times, more carriages and enhanced timetables. The changes will benefit passengers travelling for both work and leisure – including those using rail services during evenings and weekends.

Announcements to alert passengers to the changes can now be heard at railway stations, with timetables available from ticket offices or to download from the West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway websites.

Events have also been held at stations and on trains across the network to give passengers a chance to speak to senior managers about the upcoming changes. Similar events are also scheduled for the coming weeks, to help gather feedback on the new timetable.

Some of the improvements being introduced across Coventry and Warwickshire include:

• Evening services operating up to 45 minutes later between Birmingham New Street and Coventry.
• New direct services to destinations beyond Birmingham New Street, including Wolverhampton, Liverpool, Walsall, Rugeley, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe.
• On Sundays, there will be three services per hour on the West Coast Mainline between Birmingham New Street and London Euston.
• More eight car trains operating to and from London Euston, with quicker journey times to the capital from many stations.
• Improved through services between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa, via Coventry. From Monday to Saturday, a two carriage service will operate every hour on the route. On Sundays there will be a new service between Coventry and Leamington Spa, via Kenilworth.
• Half hourly services between Birmingham Snow Hill and Whitlocks End / Dorridge until the end of service on weekdays and Saturdays.

Richard Brooks, customer experience director for West Midlands Railway, said: “The timetable improvements being introduced this weekend will bring a range of benefits to passengers, with more direct services to destinations across our network and improved capacity on some of our busiest services.

“To accommodate these enhancements, there will be alterations to train times, carriage formations and the platforming of some services at busier stations. Therefore, we are advising all passengers to plan ahead for next week and to check the details of their journey. This is particularly important for those who travel regularly and are used to relying on a particular service everyday.

“We also want to make sure people are aware of how they can benefit from new opportunities to travel by train for both work and leisure. With additional earlier, later and weekend services operating direct to more destinations, the new timetable is good news for passengers across the region.”

Passengers can plan ahead using journey planning systems and are advised to go to westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk for more information.

The train operators will also be introducing a further major timetable change in two years time, where passengers will see additional benefits from the introduction of new trains onto the network, which when fully operational, will increase capacity by 25%.

ENDS