A TRAIN operator has been warned it must make “dramatic service improvements” after continued delays and a series of complaints from commuters.

MP Harriett Baldwin said she had reached “the end of my tether” with rail operators in charge of services between Worcester and Birmingham.

Mrs Baldwin, who was recently re-elected in West Worcestershire, spoke to West Midlands Railway (WMR) managing director Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde to discuss the cancelled and over-congested trains which have plagued the service recently.

The MP said she has raised concerns with the Department for Transport and has led the call for financial penalties if the company’s performance does not improve.

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She said: “I’m afraid I have reached the end of my tether with WMR and I have demanded that the management take urgent steps to dramatically improve both performance and capacity.

“I have raised the matter directly with the Department for Transport and I have asked for guidance about what may trigger financial penalties owing to poor performance.

“This is one of the biggest issues in my postbag at the moment and with fare increases planned to come in place in the next couple of weeks, rail users don’t feel like they are getting anything like value for money.

“The company won the franchise on the promise of extra capacity and more services but all I am seeing is these pledges slipping further and further.”

Mrs Baldwin is not the first politician to criticise WMR, with West Midlands mayor Andy Street criticising them in the week before Christmas.

In response to his concerns, Mr Chaudhry Van-der Velde said: “We recognise that the May timetable has not worked and apologise to all our passengers who have been affected.

“December’s changes are only part of a bigger plan to improve performance which we presented to the West Midlands Rail Executive and the DfT last week.”