West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed news that train operator CrossCountry is planning to stop trains at the new county train station at Norton. The MP met with CrossCountry managing director Andy Cooper to talk about his plans for the station and to discuss delivering improvements to the local rail network. The company is developing plans to stop the train service running between Nottingham and Cardiff at the new Worcestershire Parkway station and is also hoping to stop more trains there following a review of the station’s popularity. However, the pair discussed the current delays Network Rail has ordered on delivering timetable changes which risks reducing the number of trains which can stop at the station. The MP has contacted both Network Rail and Great Western Railways to ask them to press on with timetable improvements and build Worcestershire Parkway into their plans. Network Rail’s has decided to halt timetable changes which were set to add new services for the Cotswold Line and this, in turn, may result in delays for train companies to plan for stopping trains at the new Worcestershire Parkway station. The MP has outlined her concerns in a letter to GWR managing director Mark Hopwood and is planning to meet with Network Rail as soon as possible. Harriett commented: “I was delighted that CrossCountry is already planning to use the new Worcestershire Parkway station and I hope that they will want to add more services as they develop their own bid to renew its franchise. “But more worryingly, the decision to pause timetable changes runs the risk of halting extra services for Cotswold Line commuters and delaying GWR’s planning to stop at the new station. “We need to press on with delivering faster, more frequent, more reliable services for local rail users and I don’t want to see this national timetable issue halting the planning process for a better Cotswold Line service. Photo: Harriett Baldwin MP with CrossCountry managing director Andy Cooper.