Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

• K Farndon, Hemel Hempstead, Herts

  I've regularly complained to London Midland via their website, only to receive the standard responses about 'increased investment' and even one comment that laid the blame solely with Network Rail.
  It's pointless relying on the revised 2009 timetable as, judging by the delays I incur daily from Hemel Hempstead to Euston; the timetable is obviously an elaborate work of fiction. The overriding issue is that not only are LM incompetent at running what was (under Silverlink) a relatively incident free line, but they also show disregard for 'customers' by always failing to explain why delays have occurred.
  As we are branded as 'customers' surely we should receive cash refunds for this distinct lack of service and surely the customer should have a choice to pursue an alternative. I genuinely hope that Passengerwatch escalate this so the Transport Regulator clamps down on this pathetic, withering excuse for a train company.
  There's many a time I've been stuck at Euston and the muffled tannoy has subtly announced that the driver ‘hasn't turned up..’….well I'd happily drive the damn thing myself if someone else can't be bothered to timetable staffing for what is, after all, a pretty essential part of running a service.
  Pure incompetence on a gargantuan scale (consistent and as regular as clockwork...unlike the service we'd all love to have!)
  

• Cristina D'Angelo, Apsley

  The worst possible service known to man, constant delays and cancellations of services and all for increased prices.
  
  Is it not about time we all got together and got London Midland off the contract?

• Patrick M, Watford, UK

  There is now a petition...
  
  If you d like to tell your friends about this petition, its permanent web address is on the site - petitions.number10.gov.uk.Then do the reseach with the word LondonMidland.
  
  

• Nicky Taylor, Northampton, UK

  I could not agree more with the above comments.
  I too am a disgruntled commuter and have written numerous emails to LM asking them to justify and explain the 6% price hike given the dreadful service they offer. Even before the winter timetable was introduced the service they offered was dire. It is rare at the moment that I am making it to work on time of which is becoming frustrating to me and incredibly frustrating to my employer....believe me when I say that the £4/£8 in travel vouchers for the 30mins + delay does not go nearly far enough to compensate for the trouble and hassle they are causing me at the moment.
  
  I was also on the train last Friday evening when someone jumped on the track at Bletchley. We were held in the station at Leighton Buzzard for over 2 and a half hours.
  Whilst I appreciate this was not LM fault, I have been commuting for the best part of 7 years now so even I know that its going to take quite some time to clear the track. So why on earth did they make us sit there in the station and not put on coaches so we could continue our journey? They MUST have known how long it was going to take - it always does when this sort of thing happens.
  
  I am so annoyed about the treatment of the commuter and their lack of response with getting this resolved, I have just typed a lengthy email to my local MP in the hope that this can be addressed by them.
  

• Elaine Ashton, Kings Langley, Herts

  London Midland is a disgrace. I have suffered delays on every journey since before Christmas - utterly unacceptable. I have been commuting into London from various places for 15 years now travelling on a number of different train lines - never I have I suffered such unwaivering incompetance that I have had to endure since London Midland took over the service.

• Paul Jeffcoate, Stony Stratford, UK

  London Midland are indeed a commuter's nightmare.
  
  I have only managed 2 journeys on time out of 17 since the new year. Whilst some of the delays can be attributed to network rail incompetence, many are the fault of LM. For example I have been severely delayed 3 times in 2 weeks due to train defects. Do they do any maintainance work. However, the main casue of delays is staff shortages - in a recession! Of course the reason for many of the delays is simply unknown as no information is provided. LM are a disgrace and should be heavily fined and then replaced ASAP.

• R Lodge, Bletchley, UK

  Please let Milton Keynes Rail Users know of your concerns and experiences - which echo my own dealings with LM.
  
  Type: Milton Keynes Rail Users into GOOGLE

• Steve, Leighton Buzzard

  I have written a formal letter of complaint to London Midland, particularly highlighting the sever overcrowding of those few services which London Midland actually manage to run. I have copied this letter to The Office of Rail Regulation and also my local MP. I would urge you all to do the same.

• Peter, Milton Keynes, UK

  On the London-Midland site, you can find the great message from their president.
  
  The first sentence is ironically so true. And the nightmare begins...
  
  Managing Director Steve Banaghan writes:
  
  The new timetable is where the London Midland franchise really starts - the new services we are now operating, like opening up the Trent Valley and running new direct London to Birmingham services are the reason that the London Midland was created. We can now provide a genuine alternative on our longer distance services - and offering passengers a range of improvements and investments, along with the new timetable.
  
  Of course one of the biggest investments which support this timetable is the £9 billion investment in the West Coast main line by Network Rail. London Midland passengers have had their services affected by these major works over the last year and this has meant that our services between Northampton and London have not been performing as they should.
  
  I'd like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding - we have tried to minimise the disruption as much as possible, and from the New Year, when the project works are completed, I am confident that we will be running the sort of services our passengers quite rightly expect.
  
  Stephen Banaghan
  Managing Director
  
  London Midland
  

• P M, Watford, UK

  This company is a complete failure. They are not reliable at all, and this was already the case well before the "new" timetables were applied. Within the previous three weeks, I've experienced 8 major delays (>30 minutes up to the complete cancellation of my journey to London Euston). I can also mention the night of the 19th to the 20th of December where LondonMidland left tens of passengers on the Platform just after midnight, because of the "short formation" of the train... Then the company cancelled the next train. The police had to come to manage the situation whereas no Londonmidland employee was there to help!
  
  Second, their "communication" is a complete failure. It is very rare to get any (useful) information during a major disruption. Once again, this is not acceptable.
  
  I'm going to report all the incidents I've experienced to the Rail Regulator. I don't understand why this company has been attributed the licence whereas the previous one was offering a much better service that this one does.
  
  +4.5% (Well above the inflation...) for the new annual card with a new timetable offering less trains from Waftford Junction to London Euston.
  
  

• distressed off peak and peak WCML user, Tring, UK

  Why after vast amounts of taxpayers money put in to improving the WCML and after 9 years of blockades we allow operators like London Midland since December 14th to get away with an unreliable service due "shortage of train crew" as the most common reason for the problems Hardly encourages rail travel does it DfT?

• Raja H. Pervez, birmingham, england

  London Midland are not fit to run a Train Service. The staff at my local station are completely disgruntled at having to constantly explain the mismanagement by their superiors. I am also dissappointed with the fact vthat they do not fill their obligations by opening their ticket offices for the advertised times and expect the poor guy at the station to put up with abuse when he is out cleaning the station instead of dealing with passengers. I wish the regulatory bodies would do what they are paid for and give this franchise to an operator who knows how to run a service

• leslie burge, leicester, england

  London Midland were encountering problems on services from London
  before this timetable started so it is no surprise they weren't ready
  when the december 14 timetable began.
  I have mentioned before of a lack of on train staff on a train I caught
  from Euston.
  When it arrived at Northampton we were booted off and told to wait an hour for the next service'

• Disgruntled Rail User, Northampton

  It is about time that the rail regulator got tough with London Midland as the level of service has without doubt deterioated significantly since they took over from Silverlink and Central Trains. Apart from the weekend services many locations have missed out badly on the so called modernised West Coast Route as whilst all the media attention has gone to the Virgin VHF pendilinos many places such as Northampton are left with less trains and slower journey times than was offered prior to 2004 and on new trains that are not as reliable as the ones that they are replacing. And the DfT claim this as progress.