VIRGIN Trains yesterday promised a North Wales MP that services to London would be improved this winter.
Clwyd West MP David Jones suffered along with hundreds of passengers after a scheduled train to the capital was cancelled recently.
He complained about overcrowded connections and a ‘woeful’ lack of information from Virgin when travellers had to negotiate a change of train at Chester on the Sunday in question.
After talks with the MP, Virgin said planned new services would soon be on track when a West Coast Mainline upgrade was completed by Network Rail allowing trains to run faster and more frequently.
The company said: “For Colwyn Bay this means an increase from nine to 12 direct services to and from London on weekdays.
“Typical journey times will be trimmed from three hours 15 minutes to just under three hours.
“On Saturdays, eight direct services will run to and from London, with seven direct services on a Sunday.
Journey times will be slashed from five to three hours.”
The new services will be phased in from December, including a new daily direct Wrexham-London service from December 15; new Saturday services from December 20; new Monday to Friday services from January 26; Sunday services from February 1.
Until February, Sunday services will terminate at Chester, from February 1 until March 22 they will terminate at Llandudno Junction.
A new hourly Chester service will also offer more local connections to and from North Wales.
