West Midlands Trains to recruit more drivers

West Midlands Trains previously acknowledged a drop in performance since May

A train operator that has seen its passenger satisfaction levels plummet says it is recruiting more drivers to help improve services.

West Midlands Trains previously acknowledged a drop in performance since May with passengers experiencing delays and cancellations.

Its managing director has said he hopes to recruit 46 drivers and 40 conductors to create a "more resilient workforce".

A watchdog says "people should be able to rely on their [train] service".

On Wednesday, a national passenger survey covering autumn 2019 rated West Midlands Trains as one of the worst performing in the country.

Transport Focus found that satisfaction levels were down 11 points to 73%.

Only Northern Rail fared worse, with the Department for Transport announcing on Wednesday that its franchise would be brought under government control.

Recent months have seen West Midlands Trains suffer numerous delays and cancellations.

The firm has previously blamed the complexity of the timetable introduced in May, lead-in times for rolling stock and problems with signalling and other infrastructure.

However, delays and cancellation caused by staff shortages have drawn particular anger from commuters.

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Julian Edwards, the new managing director of West Midlands Trains, said it had already seen "a significant increase in train crew" but that recruitment was a priority.

Julian Edwards, the new managing director, said West Midlands Trains had already seen "a significant increase in train crew"

He said passengers would see improvements over the next month with more trains to be rolled out over the summer to address overcrowding.

Linda McCord of Transport Focus said the experiences of passengers were "not fair and not right".

"People are paying a lot of money and they should be able to rely on their service," she said.

Mr Edwards asked passengers "to be a little bit more patient as more improvements come".

"I can promise passengers things will get better," he said.

The operator has also announced a 10% discount on summer season tickets as an apology to regular passengers.