Following the news today that Avanti West Coast (AWC) is to have its franchise to operate services on the West Coast Main Line (which includes North Wales) extended for six months, Wrexham’s MP, Sarah Atherton is calling for AWC to use this time to wisely to improve services for her constituents.
In response to constituent’s dismay with AWC services, earlier this month Ms Atherton wrote to AWC to obtain assurances about the reliability, frequency and quality of train services to and from Wrexham.
Following this, yesterday, along with other Conservative North Wales MP colleagues, Ms Atherton met with Senior Executives of AWC to express Wrexham residents’ concerns with their substandard service.
Sarah Atherton MP commented:
‘Constituents continually contact me about Avanti’s poor services that are irregular, often only take cash payments for refreshments on board or have facilities out of use, are cancelled at late notice or severely delayed or stop halfway on the route so you have to get off at a different stop. All of these complaints from constituents I know to be true as I have experienced them myself.
I have long campaigned for better transport links for Wrexham, something which is vitally important now that we are a city. We need more frequent and reliable services to ensure growth in Wrexham and I am hoping in the response to my letter to Avanti, they can recommit to a seven-day direct service between Wrexham and London Euston. With this six-month extension to the contract, Avanti have a brilliant opportunity to focus on improving their services so that Wrexham constituents can rely on them, and I am very much hoping they do.’