Re Galton Bridge: In September 2006, I travelled from Tipton, , to Worcester. Myself and a couple of friends went to watch Worcester city play Blythe. We stayed in Worcester having a few beers later; we left Worcester about 9pm. My friends left the train at Stourbridge and I stayed on to Galton Bridge, for a connection to Dudley Port. As my train pulled into the platform, I noticed the Brum-Wolves local pulling into the platforms below. I legged it down the stairs, but the guard waved the train off. I was left on the deserted platform for 55 minutes. At 10pm or so. I waited and watched a few dodgy types enter the platform then disappear, whilst being regaled by the sounds of fireworks somewhere nearby.
I did complain, via a friend of mine, who ran a consumer type website called the Stirrer, now defunct. The answer came back from Centro/London Midland that the train had to stay to schedule. Well, fine, but why not make sure the connections worked? Since then, I moved to Dorridge, and when travelling across (pre-virus) I find this has been sorted now and connections co-ordinate better.