Trains in North Cotswolds 'totally unacceptable' (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Trains in North Cotswolds 'totally unacceptable'

TRAIN services in the North Cotswolds are so unreliable the Government's head of transport has told Parliament they are 'totally unacceptable'.

Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport, made the admission in the House of Commons when questioned by David Cameron, Chipping Norton's MP and Cotswold Line Promotion Group vice-president.

Mr Cameron said problems started when the First Great Western Link company that operates the Cotswold Line trains on the London-to-Worcester line, which serves Moreton-in-Marsh, changed the train timetable in December.

Revealing he had been inundated with complaints, he said: "Some trains did not stop at the advertised stations, and overcrowding, lateness and delays have become endemic."

Mr Darling said: "Performance on the Cotswold Line, since the changes, has been lamentable and totally unacceptable.

"The problems are capable of being fixed and First Great Western is in the process of doing so."

Moreton's Eileen Flannigan travels the line to and from work in Oxford.

Ms Flannigan said that, before the timetable changed, it was an exception if trains were late.

She said: "There's been a noticeable deterioration since December. "It's worst in the morning.

"There's apparently no way the 7.11am will ever arrive on time because there's an additional stop at Honeybourne that's not been factored into the timetable.

"I'm irritated that foreseeable problems haven't been prevented."

Cotswold Line Promotion Group vice-chairman, John Ellis, confirmed the organisation was concerned about the situation, which he fears has cost the line passengers.

Saying services had improved in the past fortnight, he said: "We've been very impressed with the efforts First Great Western Link are putting in to try and solve the problem."

First Great Western's Lorraine Leaney said they had solved the problem, caused by alterations to the Central Train company's Hereford-to-Worcester timetable affecting one of the Cotswold Line's services.

She said better customer information, recruitment of extra customer-support staff and greater liaison with bus companies are among short-term measures that are improving performance until long-term changes can be made in June.

She said: "We apologise to anyone affected by the delays and hope that, by keeping them informed of changes, any disruption to their journeys is kept to a minimum."