PETER Luff has secured Parliamentary time to press ministers about "awful" rail services in Worcestershire.

The Mid-Worcestershire MP will use tomorrow's debate to urge the Government not to neglect the county in a forthcoming rail shake-up.

Mr Luff, who recently wrote to Strategic Rail Authority chairman David Quarmby with his concerns, said that the timing of the debate was "very good".

"I wanted the debate now because the Government and the SRA are taking really important decisions about the future structure of rail services in the area," he said.

"We have got to get these decisions right or there will be no hope for improvements in the future."

The shake-up includes breaking up the Central Trains franchise announced last November, and the creation of a new Greater Western service.

Mr Luff is concerned that both developments will have knock-on effects for rail services from Worcester to Birmingham and London.

Mr Luff said: "The trouble is everyone thinks the problems on rail services are the fault of the companies, but it's much more complicated than that.

"The Government needs to get a grip of all the factors that make the services so awful."

Mr Luff said that Network Rail is not investing enough, the SRA are holding companies up from buying enough rolling stock and the Health and Safety Executive is preventing trains stopping at certain stations.

The Tory MP wrote to Mr Quarmby last week about his fears that Birmingham trains could terminate at Worcester, leaving some parts of the county without a direct train to the Second City.

He is also concerned that Chiltern Railways, which could take over from Central Trains, has hinted that services beyond Kidderminster to Worcester and Malvern might not be feasible because of limited resources.

"I have endless e-mails from constituents who helpfully keep me informed about rail services. The service to London is just desperate.

"We must start focusing civil servants' minds on the importance of Worcestershire," he added.