Grand Rail Collaboration (GRC) launched to improve services in the West Midlands

[RealTrains07]

Another addition to the changes brought into the west midlands. Hopefully one which will be very effective i think.

”In a first of its kind for England, the West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration (GRC) has been established to ensure a close working relationship across the rail industry to coordinate improvements which will ultimately enhance passenger satisfaction”.

Rail industry bosses have come together in a ground breaking deal to drive up standards for rail passengers in the West Midlands.

Areas the new West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration (GRC) Set to tackle areas such as train service performance, simplifying fare structures, improving the quality of trains and stations, sharing busy track capacity in the most efficient way and delivering timetables to improve reliability, the West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration (GRC) was launched by Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, and brings together five train operating companies, Network Rail, the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE), Vintage Trains, Transport Focus and the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) to put the focus on excellent passenger service.

https://www.globalrailwayreview.com/news/89429/rail-collaboration-improve-service-passengers/

Thought this would be a good discussion area after the recent problems on rail services in the west midlands particularly on London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services and other operators

Do you think this will create positive change in the long and short term or just another company which promises but doesn’t deliver??

Which are the issues which need fixing first. Simple ticket system or train performace / timetabling?

 

[ChrisHogan]

Another addition to the changes brought into the west midlands. Hopefully one which will be very effective i think.





https://www.globalrailwayreview.com/news/89429/rail-collaboration-improve-service-passengers/

Thought this would be a good discussion area after the recent problems on rail services in the west midlands particularly on London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services and other operators

Do you think this will create positive change in the long and short term or just another company which promises but doesn’t deliver??

Which are the issues which need fixing first. Simple ticket system or train performace / timetabling?

Sounds like another quango (not a company) jumping on a bandwagon. The first priority is to add capacity to existing train services but much of this is already catered for in the WMT franchise* and the second is to improve performance, particularly between Wolverhampton and Coventry, including extra capacity into New Street including over Proof House. I am not sure how much more "simplified" local ticketing can become as TfWM already has multi-modal smartcards. I should be interested to know who could improve timetabling to get better performance along the Coventry Corridor without reducing the existing number of services - the minimum specified in most franchise agreements. Separately the West Midlands Mayor wants to add local services to the Camp Hill line that only worsens congestion into New Street.

* No doubt TfW will improve its capacity and we can only hope that First West Coast will eliminate the use of single Voyagers on Euston-New Street services with its new trains while 222s should come to XC I imagine once they have been replaced out of St. Pancras.

 

[KashmireHawker]

Points above very much noted, whilst I can be always joyful in being part of a Passenger Vox-Pop which was shown after the intro by Andy Street.

Lets hope it is more than a talking shop as the GRC Conference's host Peter Plisner - BBC West Midlands Business and Transport Correspondent, stated he thought it would be come his closing remarks!

https://t.co/lvv8sNrqqr?amp=1

 

[RealTrains07]

Points above very much noted, whilst I can be always joyful in being part of a Passenger Vox-Pop which was shown after the intro by Andy Street.

Lets hope it is more than a talking shop as the GRC Conference's host Peter Plisner - BBC West Midlands Business and Transport Correspondent, stated he thought it would be come his closing remarks!

https://t.co/lvv8sNrqqr?amp=1

Hope so, their is plenty of train punctuality problems that could do with looking into