Hertfordshire councillors are set to discuss commuters’ increasing frustration with a Watford train line’s service.
Hertfordshire County Council’s Highways and Transport Cabinet Panel will consider a motion on Abbey Line trains between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey on March 12.
Meriden Tudor councillor Steve Cavinder tabled it at full council on Tuesday (February 10) after regularly being contacted by frustrated residents.
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The proposed motion for the panel’s consideration would say that it “expresses its increasing dismay” at the “continuing failure of London Northwestern Railway to run a reliable service on the line”.
It particularly highlights when all trains were cancelled for nine straight days between January 29 and February 6 — during an overtime ban as part of a period of industrial action.
“The recent history of the line is one of repeated cancellations, as the line seems to be picked on when there are driver shortages,” the motion adds. “This has destroyed passenger confidence.
“The Abbey Line should be a key transport artery, but its continuing unreliability means that people look elsewhere when making decisions to travel between Watford and St Albans, undermining this council’s drive for active travel.
“The panel therefore calls on West Midlands Trains who run the service to commit to end the practice of prioritising service cancellations on the Abbey Line over other routes.”
The Liberal Democrat councillor told the Watford Observer that residents in his area regularly tell him about disruption on the route.
He added that many of the people he speaks to use the service to get to work, including emergency workers, and people have stopped using the service altogether because they do not feel like they can rely on it.
Cllr Cavinder hopes the council will provide more information about why the service is run the way it as and prompt London Northwestern “to commit to a really good service”.
A London Northwestern Railway spokesperson said: “Running a reliable service is our priority and we share the frustration of our passengers that industrial action has continued to impact journeys on the Abbey Line.
“We recognise the importance of a maintaining a strong rail connection between Watford and St Albans and remain in constructive dialogue with the council on service provision.
“We are fully committed to improving our performance on the route and building on the recent upturn in reliability we have seen since the end of the overtime ban.”
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