Virgin Trains could be set to run an extra Sunday service between Lichfield and London from December.
The news comes in the wake of pressure from Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant to improve the frequency of services between Lichfield Trent Valley and the capital.
With only two London Midland services running at weekends from Trent Valley to London, Mr Fabricant had raised concerns to Chris Gibb, Virgin Trains’ Chief Operating Officer. The Lichfield MP added that the fact those trains took over two-and-a-half hours to reach their destination meant there was an “an urgent need for a high speed Virgin service to take commuters down to London on a Sunday night”.
And following conversations between Mr Fabricant and Mr Gibb, the train operator now looks set to introduce a Sunday service.
Mr Gibb told the Lichfield MP:
“I am pleased to be able to respond with the news that we have formally asked for a call in a London bound service at about 18.00 on Sundays from the next timetable change in December. This is subject to the timetabling process led by Network Rail, but I don’t expect there to be a problem.”
A clearly delighted Mr Fabricant admitted he was pleased with the response:
“This is excellent news. I hope that this will be an express service and will maintain a high standard of reliability. I know many students and business people travel down to London on a Sunday night and this service will be a valuable addition to the service of London-bound trains from Lichfield Trent Valley.”