MPs are signing up to a campaign to give passengers and West Midlands businesses a greater say in the future of the region’s railways.

Councillors from Centro-PTA are lobbying for support at this week’s Labour Party Conference.  They want to remain a full contractual partner in the new rail franchise to start next year and have already attracted hundreds of signatures for a petition to be presented to the Secretary of State Douglas Alexander.

MPs visiting the campaign stand in Manchester fear the already limited local accountability will be lost when the Central Trains franchise comes to an end next year.   At the moment, West Midlands transport body Centro-PTA is a co-signatory to the agreement and that gives local councillors a say in how the railways are run and powers to monitor the performance of the train company.

“We strongly believe that the Secretary of State should use the powers he has to give us a direct contractual relationship with the region’s new train company,” says Centro-PTA chairman Cllr Gary Clarke.  “We have over 30 years experience in overseeing rail services in the West Midlands and have worked closely with operators to bring about improvements in the past.  We are going to need even greater coordination to deliver the transport network this city region needs for the future.”

A recent report commissioned by Centro-PTA and West Midlands councils forecasts congestion in the region to increase by 22 per cent unless there is massive investment in public transport.  Already one in five Birmingham commuters travels to work by train but capacity for growth is seriously limited at the moment, it is claimed.