Michael Fabricant is making urgent contact with Central Trains again today
this time because angry Lichfield commuters have contacted their MP to tell
him that many trains on the Lichfield-Redditch route are finding their
trains are being terminated at Blake Street and not travelling onto
Lichfield. Blake Street is the end of the West Midlands transport zone and
commuters from Lichfield Trent Valley, Lichfield City, and Shenstone are
being stranded. This is particularly the case with the rail strike. "Why
is Lichfield being penalised?" asks Michael Fabricant. "If the trains can
run to Blake Street, surely they can continue on a few stops to Lichfield
Trent Valley according to the timetable. Why are Lichfield commuters being
let down?"

Lichfield resident, Dominic Prentis who commutes daily to Birmingham New
Street, has written to Michael Fabricant. Mr Prentis says:-

"Travellers on the cross city line from Lichfield to Redditch found that
they were unable to travel at all on Friday as ALL trains from Redditch were
terminated at Blake Street. The same will be the case on Monday. Blake
Street marks the end of zone one from central Birmingham and as a result
trains are frequently terminated there without going on to Shenstone,
Lichfield City or Lichfield Trent Valley.

"Although revised timetables were posted in Lichfield City station from
Tuesday night, as they often are for disruptions to Sunday services, there
was no indication until you looked closely that there would be no services
at all on those two days. A number of people were caught out by this as a
revision does not imply cancellation of all services!

"NO replacement bus services were provided nor was there any information
available to travellers about the nearest bus timetables etc (the same was
the case in Blake Street). I managed to procure a lift as far as Butlers
Lane station on Friday morning as my wife’s school, where she is a teacher,
is nearby. However, imagine my surprise when two trains travelling in the
direction of Lichfield stopped at Butlers Lane within five minutes of each
other! [It was 8.20 and 8.25 to be accurate]

"Why couldn’t one of them have continued to Lichfield where the passengers
pay MORE for their tickets!! To get home in the evening, I had to take the
train as far as Butlers Lane and collect my wife’s car which she left in a
car park near the station. She managed to arrange a lift home with a
colleague. I have no idea how other passengers got home as they are unlikely
to have been as lucky as me."

Michael Fabricant says: "This really isn’t good enough. Customer service
needs to be improved. It is not acceptable that Lichfield is being
sidelined like this and I shall be taking this up with Central Trains once
again."