​Rail passengers across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and South Staffordshire reminded to check their train times ahead of changes being introduced this weekend

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

West Midlands Railway is implementing a new timetable from Sunday (19 May), bringing improvements for passengers across Worcestershire, Hereford and South Staffordshire. The changes will benefit passengers travelling for both work and leisure – including those using rail services during evenings and weekends.

Announcements to remind passengers about the changes can now be heard at railway stations, with timetables available from ticket offices or to download the West Midlands Railway website.

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 Worcestershire, Herefordshire and South Staffordshire include:

• Three trains an hour operating between Birmingham Snow Hill and Kidderminster throughout the whole day.
• Additional evening services between Kidderminster and Worcester from 1900 onwards.
• A new 1850 service between Birmingham New Street, Worcester and Hereford

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 for more information.

The train operator 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