Passenger Focus has welcomed the Government’s announcement of investment in new trains, electrification of the railway line to Cardiff and plans to study electrification of the railway in the Valleys.
Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director, said: “Many of the inter-city trains running on the East Coast and Great Western main lines are over 30-years-old and more modern trains will be desperately needed in the near future as passenger numbers continue to rise.
“Passenger Focus has been working with the Department for Transport (DfT) and the bidders to ensure the internal layout brings extra benefit and facilities for passengers. We would encourage the DfT and the Agility Consortium to build mock-ups of these trains as soon as possible so we can further test the layouts and help deliver a train which sets new high standards for passengers.”
The watchdog also welcomed electrification plans between London and Wales.
“After much speculation and uncertainty, passengers using services between London and Cardiff are set to benefit from an electrified network which will improve reliability, cut passengers’ journey times and reduce costs. If the plans come to fruition, passengers travelling in Wales could also benefit from the electrification of Valley lines. However, this announcement will be disappointing for those passengers campaigning for further electrification of the line to Swansea and we hope that as the economy recovers, further electrification of the network will be put back onto the table.”
