Nationalising rail 'could lose local know-how'

A RAIL operator which runs key commuter services across the West Midlands as well as routes to the capital and North West will be nationalised next year.

- TAMLYN JONES Business Correspondent

West Midlands Trains will come under public ownership from February 1, the Department for Transport confirmed.

The decision has sparked fears that centralised control will damage services to outlying areas. The Tories also claimed the move could come at the expense of schools and hospitals as the Government struggles to fund it.

West Midlands Trains has two brands - West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway.

The former runs local services across Birmingham and the wider region including the key Cross City line between north Worcestershire and Lichfield via University of Birmingham, New Street and Sutton Coldfield. It also serves stations in Shropshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.