Passenger Focus has called on the Government to ensure that the new West Coast rail franchise, currently run by Virgin Trains, is based on passengers’ needs and priorities.
Commenting on government’s progress to appoint the next operator to run the franchise Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus Rail Director said:
“Passenger Focus has asked thousands of passengers what they want from future rail franchises and will feed this back to bidders to ensure their proposals reflect passenger priorities.”
Passenger Focus has also published its response to the industry’s long-term proposals for the West Coast Main Line between 2012 and 2024.
The independent passenger watchdog looked at its previous studies and undertook new research with more than 4100 passengers to feedback on the long-term plans for the rail network which links London with five of Britain’s largest cities.
Passengers identified their priorities as including:
- The ability to get a seat
- Connectivity – Adequate links between towns and cities
- Journey time
- Frequency of trains
- Stations
