Department for Transport
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Extra trains for London Commuters
Commuters travelling into London from Harrow, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire are to benefit from an extra 1,300 seats on five new peak time services announced by Transport Minister Chris Mole today.
The Government has agreed funding with London Midland to operate the extra services from this December boosting services for passengers commuting to the capital from Watford Junction, Bushey, Milton Keynes, Bletchley and Harrow & Wealdstone. The improvements represent the second phase of Government plans to increase capacity for rail passengers on the London Midland network which in total will create an additional 2,600 seats during peak commuting times.
Chris Mole said:
“More people nationally travel by train now that at any time in the last 40 years. We’re determined to meet the increasing demand created by this success story by providing extra services and longer trains.
"These new services complement the improvements made last December in which some trains were lengthened, leading to an extra 1,300 seats."
The five new services comprise three additional peak morning train services for commuters travelling from Bletchley and Watford to London Euston and two peak evening services for passengers travelling from London to Watford and Milton Keynes.
London Midland has also agreed to renew automatic ticket barriers and increase their number on Platforms 8-11 at London Euston by December 2010, reducing queues that build when trains arrive at these platforms during the morning peak.
Notes to editors
1. The White Paper ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway’ (July 2007) committed the DfT to fund the provision of additional capacity to accommodate forecast additional demand into key London termini and other cities. These were included in the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) which the Government and the rail industry are to meet in the Control Period 4 (CP4) from April 2009 to March 2014.
2. The extra services being provided under this agreement are:
06:33 Bletchley to London Euston
07:57 Watford Junction to London Euston
08:15 Watford Junction to London Euston
17:40 London Euston to Watford Junction
18:20 London Euston to Milton Keynes Central
3. London Midland has operated 1,320 extra seats since December 2008. The changes in December 2009 will mean an extra 1,349 seats on top of this.
4. London Midland introduced one of the morning peak services included in this agreement early and at their own cost from June 2009.
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