West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed a series of rail service improvements for county commuters including an extra three London services for Malvern from mid-December. The MP met with senior bosses from Network Rail and Great Western Railways to discuss the planned timetable improvements which will be implemented at the end of the year. Trains between Great Malvern and Paddington will now be increased from 11 to 14 a day from December 15 – that’s a 27 per cent increase - and the fastest train between London and Worcester will take just two hours. The new services will also include stops at the new Worcestershire Parkway station, which is expected to be completed and opened for passengers in December with a 500 space car park. Both Great Western Railways and Cross Country have agreed to use the new station from the end of the year with more services expected to stop there in 2020. Harriett also quizzed rail operators on the continued problems with disruption to Cotswold Line services and the MP was briefed on the rail operator’s efforts to recruit 300 new drivers for next year. Harriett commented: “The Government has delivered the highest level of investment in the railways since the Victorian era and I was pleased to hear some positive news from the industry bosses. “The confirmation that Worcestershire Parkway will be open soon was particularly welcome. I’ve been pressing for the new station since I was first elected in 2010 and I know that it has been a station that has been in the pipeline for decades. “I’ve been keen to make the case that this must not impact on the amount of services stopping at Pershore and Malvern and I have been encouraged by their plans to add more services on the Cotswold Line. “I’ve always pressed for faster, more frequent, more reliable services for my constituents and I hope that these timetable changes will signal a major improvement for people travelling to London and the South East.