West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has today welcomed news that Malvern rail users heading for Birmingham will get extra services under a new franchise deal. West Midlands Trains – which is a joint venture between Dutch company Abellio and two Japanese rail companies –has won the franchise to run trains between Hereford and Birmingham and has promised extra services in the morning and evening, extra services in the evening and additional services at weekends from next year. Harriett lobbied for improved commuter services when the franchise was put out to tender last year and today she offered her support to the new company as it delivers on these important pledges. The new company will be investing £1 billion into the Midlands train network – replacing London Midland as the train operator from December. Harriett commented: “I lobbied hard for extra services to ease the pressure on commuters and also to make it easier for local people to enjoy Birmingham’s shopping and leisure experience in the evenings and at weekends. “The new services will be phased in next year and I hope that the transition to the new operator will be smooth and that commuters from Malvern welcome this major investment into our important local transport infrastructure. “I also hope that the new train operator will also be able to add extra carriages onto peak-time commuter trains and reduce over-crowding which was another request I submitted as part of the franchise bidding process. “The trains to and from Birmingham form an important piece of the jigsaw for local commuters and we all look forward to seeing a new company delivering on its promises and making train journeys to the second city much better in the years to come.