CHILTERN Railways’ chairman has reacted angrily to the prospect of a £500,000 fine from the Government for failing to stick to the letter of the firm’s franchise agreement.

The Department for Transport said it intended to impose the fine because the firm failed to complete station improvements on time and had made timetable changes without its consent.

Chiltern had agreed to build new passenger shelters at three stations, including one at Bicester North.

While the Bicester one was completed on time, work on another, at Northolt Park in London, over-ran, along with work to install lifts at Aylesbury station in Buckinghamshire.

Chairman Adrian Shooter said: “It would be a cause for enormous regret if £500,000 were diverted from investment in improvements for passengers as a result of low-impact franchise breaches.”

The DfT said although the issues had been resolved, the financial penalty was was “appropriate”. Chiltern, which is owned by the German state railway firm Deutsche Bahn, has until May 5 to comment on the fine. The DfT intends to enforce the penalty in June.

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said: “I am pleased that Chiltern’s contraventions have all now been remedied. However, we could not let these breaches pass without further action.”