Additional CrossCountry services at Willington

From the May timetable change, a trial will be undertaken to gauge customer demand by providing two additional trains in each direction at Willington from Mondays to Saturdays, increasing the daily number of trains to twelve. The additional morning and afternoon stops in the regular CrossCountry service between Birmingham and Nottingham have been introduced after extensive consultation with rail users and local stakeholders.

Earlier surveys indicated the normal level of service of eight trains was sufficient to cater for the stations customers. In 2009 CrossCountry's annual timetable consultation highlighted a number of requests for extra peak time services at Willington from people attending the new Derby College Roundhouse campus adjacent to the railway station. Following discussions with the College, Derbyshire County Council and the local MP, Mark Todd, CrossCountry is providing the additional services to test if there are enough customers to make these a permanent fixture in the timetable.

David Watkin, CrossCountry's Commercial Director, said: "We are delighted to have been able to introduce these trial services. We will now begin working with the County Council, politicians and rail users to encourage more people to use our trains at Willington for their business, leisure and commuting trips."

Councillor Chris Jackson, Derbyshire County Council's cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: "We're pleased CrossCountry is improving its service, making it easier for people in Willington and the surrounding area to travel into Derby and beyond."

Over the next few months, CrossCountry will be working with Derbyshire County Council and Derby College to help raise awareness of rail services at Willington.

For more information please call the CrossCountry Press Office on 0121 2006115 or email [email protected]

Notes to editors

CrossCountry started operating on 11 November 2007. The franchise, which is the most extensive in the UK, will run until 31 March 2016. For further information on CrossCountry services and future franchise plans log on to www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

CrossCountry is now live on Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains.

Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing more than 43,500 people (including share of associate companies) and providing more than one billion passenger journeys every year

Arriva provides transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses, and operates in 12 European countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

CrossCountry facts and figures:

STATIONS SERVED: 118
ROUTE MILES: 1,654
WEEKDAY SERVICES: 295
PASSENGERS CARRIED: Over 30 million passenger journeys a year anticipated
ANNUAL TRAIN MILEAGE: Approximately 19 million
EMPLOYEES: Approximately 1,600
LONGEST TRAIN SERVICE: 08.20 Aberdeen to Penzance (774 miles)

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Contact Information

CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]

About CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.

For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains