00:00Anyone who regularly uses the West Midlands Rail Network knows the frustration of delays, cancellations and crowded trains.
00:09Now, Birmingham-based cross-country has been told it must improve.
00:13That's after receiving the lowest overall score in a national passenger survey by Transport Focus.
00:20The watchdog says in the three months to the end of March, 72% of cross-country stops were within
00:27three minutes of the timetable,
00:29while 7% of services were cancelled.
00:32It also says 79% of passengers surveyed were satisfied overall and 77% were satisfied with punctuality and reliability.
00:43But satisfaction was lower when things went wrong and fewer than half of cross-country passengers said they were satisfied
00:50with how delays are handled.
00:51Transport Focus wants the operator to improve the passenger experience, reduce delays, give clearer information during disruption and tackle overcrowding
01:01on services.
01:02Cross-Country is owned by the Arriva Group and they run long-distance trains serving cities including Birmingham, Cardiff and
01:09Manchester.
01:10They say they've made slight improvements in some areas but accept they must do more for customers.
01:16They say refurbished trains are improving journeys and its new timetable is delivering better regional connectivity.
01:23Transport Focus says operators will be held to account for the service passengers actually receive.
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