Chris Stokes
The Chase line: No 350256 at Bloxwich North on a Rugeley Trent Valley to Northampton cross-Birmingham working on 25 July 2019. John Whitehouse
Three months ago, I predicted that West Midlands Trains’ new timetable would prove to be a performance disaster. The plan from the Abellio franchisee (strictly speaking, the franchise is operated by Abellio, JR East and Mitsui, but there is no obvious Japanese impact on performance) included operation of semi-fast trains through Birmingham between Euston and Liverpool, Rugeley and Crewe via Stoke. The new timings had minimal dwell times en route, and trains splitting and joining at New Street.
