Councillors oppose railway plans

Senior councillors in the West Midlands are calling on the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) to rethink its proposals to cut local rail services.

The government's rail body is looking at ways of getting better value out of the rail network.

Proposals include cutting poorly-used services such as the Wolverhampton and Walsall line.

The SRA has also suggested putting up rush-hour ticket prices and slowing down commuter peak-hour journeys.

'Frequent service'

Opposing the plans, Cllr Gary Clarke, chairman of the watchdog West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority (PTA), said local passengers would be getting a raw deal.

"What we want for the West Midlands is a high-quality local passenger service that can tempt more people out of their cars and on to public transport.

"The Department of Transport should make it the job of the rail industry to run services that are reliable, frequent, accessible, affordable and comfortable.

"We shall be keeping a very close eye on how local needs are assessed next to services that may generate greater income for the rail industry, but do less to address the congestion issues in the West Midlands urban area," he added.

The PTA and its executive arm Centro say they have sent off a strongly-worded response to the SRA's proposals ahead of Friday's consultation deadline.