Bedfordshire commuters warned of 'major disruption'

Rail commuters who are losing their peak-time services to London can expect "major disruption", an MP has told Parliament.

East Midlands Trains to and from London will no longer stop at Bedford and Luton at peak times from May.

The new timetable is coming into force as part of the Midland mainline upgrade.

Luton South Labour MP Gavin Shuker accused rail bosses of keeping passengers in the dark.

During a debate in the House of Commons, Mr Shuker said the programme would be "majorly disruptive" to passengers.

"This change will mean that between 20 May and the completion of the upgrade in 2020, no East Midlands Trains arriving at St Pancras between 07:00 and 10:00 or leaving St Pancras between 16:00 and 19:00 will stop at Luton or Bedford," he said.

The Labour MP added he would "like to see commitment" that East Midlands Trains will stop at Luton and Bedford during peak hours when the upgrade is complete.

Also speaking in the Commons was the Conservative MP for South West Bedfordshire, Andrew Selous, who said he "completely backed" Mr Shuker's comments.

Mr Selous called on the Transport Minister, Nusrat Ghani, to "ensure fair play" with the timetable changes.

"There are worries that this is a bit of a stitch-up by some long distance commuters that have been plotting this for a while," said Mr Selous.

Ms Ghani apologised to passengers and local businesses who will be "inconvenienced" by the service alterations.

"We are doing everything possible to mitigate the impact of these changes on rush hour passengers," she said.

"But the enhancements we are delivering are essential to sustaining the long-term prosperity of Bedfordshire.

"Passengers will have to cope with some service reduction, but they will benefit in the long-term with newer, faster, services with more seats."

East Midlands Trains have been contacted for comment.