JustBeingCP

As many of you will know I wrote to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aston Villa recently calling on him to ensure that the standard of service offered to disabled supporters using the railway to attend matches is improved by West Midlands Trains (WMT).

I told Christian Purslow, Aston Villa’s CEO (Chief Executive Officer) that there is no consistent service offered to disabled supporters by the staff of West Midlands Trains (WMT) on match-day’s at Witton station.

I also went to tell him that if the level of service offered to disabled home and away fans doesn’t improve in the coming months at Witton on match-days then I will be forced to stop attending matches until an improvement of this happens.

My letter was passed to WMT (West Midlands Trains) by Aston Villa on Tuesday the 21st of February 2023 so that they could respond to the concerns that I was attempting to raise as the train operator responsible for the management of Witton train station.

I received a comprehensive response from Jonny Wiseman the Director of Customer Experience at WMT (West Midlands Trains) on Wednesday the 22nd of March 2023.

He started off by thanking me for the feedback that I had given them in relation to my recent experiences of using Witton train station when travelling to and from Villa Park on match-days.

He also went on to note that the rail infrastructure around Villa Park is of an insufficient standard for moving 40,000 + supporters through the rail network quickly on match-days and this is why queuing systems are put into operation by staff.

Mr wiseman also mentioned that additional staff and trains are put in to operation during match-days at Villa Park to help keep people moving safely. The staff at WMT (West Midlands Trains) work hard to help customers who require assistance onto the first available train, added Mr Wiseman.

However Mr Wiseman did remind me that this can become challenging during busy periods because trains are busy and there may be multiple supporters requiring assistance at the same time.

Mr Wiseman continued to add that when this happens the team at West Midlands Trains (WMT) work to board everyone as quickly as possible but on occasion this may mean that customers need to wait for the next available train if all the wheelchair spaces on board are occupied.

I am delighted to report that following my feedback WMT (West Midlands Trains) have put the following measures in place for match-days to improve the experience of disabled supporters travelling to and from Villa Park on the rail network.

1. They are redoubling efforts to ensure that they have as many trained members of staff available to deliver assistance as possible on match-days.
2. They also say that they reviewing where there staff are positioned post-match, so that they are ready to help customers requiring the use of a ramp to board services as quickly as possible
3. They are also reviewing their match-day travel advice to supporters in partnership with Aston Villa, particularly regarding the use of our pre-booked assistance service.

Mr Wiseman finished off by saying that I will experience a more consistent level of service in the coming months when travelling to and from Villa Park.

I will get the chance to see if these improvements really have happened when I attend Villas match with Nottingham Forrest on Saturday the 8th of April.

I would as always like to end in my normal way by taking the opportunity to thank all of my readers and followers for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest blog.

Cam