West Worcestershire MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has welcomed news that train and bus services will be getting a service boost in the new year.

Dame Harriett has long campaigned for better bus services between Malvern and Worcester and January will see the return of Sunday services along the 44 route as well as later services into the evening.

The MP has also been lobbying the Cross Country rail operator to make more use of the popular Worcestershire Parkway station and Dame Harriett was briefed on plans to add the Plymouth to Edinburgh service stopping at the station.

Dame Harriett said:

“I have been pressing First Bus to bring a Sunday service back along the main 44 route linking Malvern and Worcester and it is good to see the bus company returning services that were scaled back during the pandemic.

“I’ll be meeting with the company next month to encourage them to make more enhancements to local services including the return of the X43 service which fizzled out during lockdown.

“Alongside this we’ve had positive news that train companies are adding extra services stopping at Worcestershire Parkway. It is a station performing well ahead of projections and constituents have contacted me about what a difference the Manchester service stopping there would make to local business commuters.

“I’ve had some really positive updates from the Worcestershire County Council transport team about these service enhancements and I’ll be keeping up the pressure to add better bus and train connections next year and beyond as well as continuing to lobby for the funding to dual more of the North Cotswold Line between Worcester and Oxford as soon as possible.”