West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has called on the West Midlands rail franchise holder to halt all proposed fare increases following a series of serious service failings in the run up to Christmas.

Some discounts have been offered for season ticket holders, but the company is still expected to roll out ticket price increases on January 2 despite a series of problems affecting rail commuters dating back to the beginning of the summer.

However, Harriett has called on West Midlands Trains to put customers first and commit to cancelling all ticket price rises until the current service issues are fixed.

Harriett commented: “Customers are already unhappy with the level of service offered by West Midlands Trains and I have made that point directly to the management team in recent weeks.

“I’ve seen announcements suggesting that season ticket holders may receive discounts to offset the planned price rises but I am eager to hear whether the company has similar plans for other county commuters using services to and from Birmingham.

“Fare price increases would, to my mind, be a very disappointing decision bearing in mind the company’s already poor reputation amongst rail users.

“The Department for Transport has powers to punish the company or even take away the franchise and I plan to have further discussions on this when I return to Westminster.

“West Midlands Trains’ new year’s resolution must be to swiftly deliver on its franchise promise and deliver better services for customers travelling between Worcestershire and Birmingham.”