Chiltern Railways customers urged to check their journey as all train times change from 21 May
Chiltern Railways has announced that every train time will change next month when the May 2023 timetable comes into effect.
Developed in partnership with Network Rail and other train operators, Chiltern’s new timetable builds on data-driven capacity improvements made in December 2022 while providing customers with standard departure times from each station in the off peak and evening peak.
This timetable update means that every train time will change from 21 May onwards. Chiltern is urging customers to check before they travel as their usual journeys may not be the same.
The May 2023 timetable has been designed to reflect the ongoing rail recovery, changing commuter patterns and a boom in weekend leisure travel. The regular departure times throughout most of the day will improve connectivity, and make train times easier for customers to remember, ensuring that they can plan ahead with confidence.
Additional peak capacity has been maintained on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with further increased service frequencies in the West Midlands on key commuter routes in collaboration with West Midlands Trains.
This means that a regular, 15-minute service will be in operation between Dorridge and Birmingham Moor Street. There will now also be two trains per hour operating between Bicester North, Warwick and Birmingham Moor Street.
The operator has made the data-driven decision to make small reductions in service where appropriate. Chiltern Railways will no longer serve Kidderminster, but there is no reduction in frequency to Birmingham due to service enhancements by West Midlands Trains. There will also be small reductions in off peak services in Buckinghamshire, and between London Marylebone and Aylesbury.
Chiltern Railways has seen consistent growth in customer numbers at the weekend, and to meet this demand, the operator is adding extra Saturday seats to ensure that there are two trains per hour connecting Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone at the busiest times. This equates to over 2000 extra seats each way for those travelling on Saturdays.
All of the changes in Chiltern’s May timetable are designed to put carriages and services where they are needed most throughout the week based on customer demand, with the aim of improving customer experience, connectivity between stations and the reliability of service.
Due to every train time on the network changing, Chiltern Railways is urging customers to triple-check their journey before they travel.
Customers can find more information about the May 2023 timetable change by visiting https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/may23timetable.
Contact Information
Matt Turner
Notes to editors
About Chiltern
- Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing 53,000 people and delivering 2 billion passenger journeys a year across 14 European countries. Arriva are part of Deutsche Bahn (DB), one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies, responsible for DB's passenger transport services outside Germany.
- Chiltern operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services to Kidderminster.
- Chiltern also runs trains on the London to Aylesbury Line to Aylesbury (with some trains terminating at Aylesbury Vale Parkway instead), on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury and Oxford to Bicester branch lines.