David Mundell MP is hopeful that changes to the West Coast franchise might mean increased services from Lockerbie. Rail Minister Theresa Villiers has announced that First West Coast Limited will be the new operator for the ‘InterCity West Coast’ franchise. As part of the deal First West Coast Limited will introduce 11 new six-car electric trains which will enable more seats to be provided across the franchise, including greater capacity on the Birmingham to Scotland route. First West Coast Limited has also committed to cut the cost of its ‘Standard Anytime’ fares by an average of 15% within the first two years.
The franchise stretches from London to Glasgow, which includes Lockerbie station as well as connecting many of the UK’s major cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Edinburgh, Lancaster and Chester.
Following the announcement that First Group will take over the West Coast franchise from Virgin Trains, Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell commented: “I am hopeful that this announcement might help improve Lockerbie services as Virgin clearly weren't interested in stopping there.
“The initial plan to increase services from Birmingham to Glasgow presents an excellent opportunity to maximise Lockerbie’s potential as a meaningful rail hub for our region. As such I am keen to meet with First in the near future to discuss their plans and lobby for improvements for Lockerbie.”