May 19th Timetable Change – Improved Lichfield Services
David James | Friday 10 May, 2019
There will be improvements to Lichfield Rail services from the May 19th timetable change.
On the Cross-City line, operated by West Midlands Railway, all services will serve Trent Valley Station as well as City Station. On Mondays to Fridays ( not Saturday's), the daytime frequency between Birmingham and Lichfield of four trains per hour will be extended through the evening until the 22.55 departure from New St. with the final service from New St. leaving at 23.15.
On the London Euston to Crewe via Lichfield service, operated by London North Western, trains will run directly to Crewe from Stafford, rather than going via Stoke, saving 28 to 30 minutes on journey time. This will be a significant benefit for Lichfield rail passengers, who change at Crewe for destinations in the North West, North Wales and Scotland. Approximately one third of trains on the London to Crewe route will be formed of 8 coaches. The busy morning services from Lichfield to London Euston will continue to be 4 coach trains but it is hoped these will increased to 5 or 8 coach trains over the next 2 years, as London North Western expand their fleet. Sunday afternoon and evening services will take the direct route to and from London already used by Monday to Saturday services, rather than going via the Northampton loop. This will reduce journey times by 33 to 39 minutes.