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<p>Rail services between London and the Midlands are currently provided by the West
Midlands and InterCity West Coast franchises. These franchises are due be replaced
when they expire in October 2017 and April 2018 respectively. The Department has completed
a consultation in respect of the replacement West Midlands franchise, and commenced
another in respect of InterCity West Coast in May. The outcomes of those consultations
will be used to inform what we ask the operator of the new franchise to provide. This
information, including the key challenges and opportunities that the Department has
identified for those franchises, will be published in due course.</p><p> </p><p>Neither
consultation proposed cutting train services. We expect potential bidders to plan
their train services to meet the needs of passengers at the stations they serve considering
how best to serve and link markets and improve service reliability. To make sure their
plans best reflect the needs of the franchise we are seeking views from the public
and stakeholders on the ICWC franchise on:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>any
direct journeys currently provided by ICWC that they would want to see protected at
a minimum level; and</li><li>priorities for potential changes to train services, such
as speeding up service for long-distance passengers, for example by changing stops
at low-use stations or adjusting the level of service.</li></ul>
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