Rail operator responds to criticism of Stratford service
Chiltern Railways have hit back at recent criticism of its service in Stratford saying the company is as frustrated as passengers when critical engineering works disrupt journeys.
Earlier this month the rail operator prompted anger after confirming that rail services from Stratford to Leamington would not operate on 18/19 and 25/26 August, two of the busiest weekends of the year.
The company blamed upcoming engineering works that were out of their control, but local rail campaigners revealed the cancellations are just the latest of a number of gripes locals have with Chiltern Railways.
They cited an infrequent service to London, a lack of staff at Stratford station and a general belief that Chiltern were simply doing the bare minimum to maintain its franchise.
Fraiser Pithie, of the Shakespeare Line Promotion Group, said the cancellations were not acceptable for an international tourist town like Stratford and expressed support the idea of Great Western Railway taking over from Chiltern with its service to London Paddington.
Issues with Chiltern were also raised with executives of the company by Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi at the end of July, prompted by concerns from constituents.
Responding to the criticisms this week Dave Penny, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: “Recognising the importance of public transport to Stratford-upon-Avon’s economy, Chiltern Railways is committed to providing the town with a high-quality service, so it is important to clarify how we do this following your recent article.
“We find it as frustrating as passengers do, when our services must be amended because of critical infrastructure engineering works, but when this happens we will always work hard to ensure passengers from across our network can travel and complete their journeys.
“To ensure we can do this, we are in regular dialogue with other rail operators to ensure we provide the best service possible to Stratford-upon-Avon both day-to-day and during service alterations. We also continue to discuss services with the Shakespeare Line Promotion Group including recent discussion between them and our Customer Services Director, and we have offered the group a further opportunity to meet with our team.
“Additionally, we will continue to build our relationship with Shakespeare’s England who are well-placed to work with us in developing the high-quality service we want to offer Stratford-upon-Avon.”
