Taxi marshals to stay on at Wolverhampton railway station

The two staff members were introduced by the city council in response to teething problems at the station's new access which opened in January.

In a further move the ‘kiss-and-ride’ zone for those dropping off passengers in a hurry will be renamed the ‘drop-off only’ zone to make it clear no waiting is allowed.

The council is also encouraging drivers to take advantage of 20 minutes free parking in the station's multi-storey car park when dropping off or collecting passengers to relieve pressure on the 16 short-stay parking spaces.

Councillor John Reynolds, cabinet member for city economy, said: “The turnaround area at the railway station remains the long-term responsibility of Virgin Trains and, as part of the Interchange project, we are working in partnership with them to ensure it is used properly.

“The public are still familiarising themselves with the new traffic arrangements and we are listening to their views and helping make adjustments where we can to improve things while the new system beds in.

“Therefore, we have decided to keep taxi marshals in place for a further month after the three-week trial came to an end.

“In the long-term we do not believe taxi marshals will be required.”

Taxi marshals were employed in February with the aim of improving both taxi and customer access to the station's turnaround area.

They operate from 4pm to midnight, seven days a week, and are responsible for directing members of the public to Hackney Carriages and private hire services, as well as talking to the drivers to help improve traffic flow.

The marshals also monitor illegal touting for business.

Councillor Milkinderpal Jaspal, who previously raised concerns about the road layout at the new access, welcomed the latest changes but said more needs to be done.

He said: "The change in name from 'kiss-and-ride' is welcome as it didn't make any sense. It had become a bit of a joke.

"The marshals are good too but further changes are needed too.

"We want Wolverhampton Railway Station to be one of the nest stations in the country."

The new entrance, accessible via Corn Hill, opened on January 8. Railway Drive is now closed off to traffic.

Improvements to the station are being made as part of the city’s £132 million Interchange improvements.