A railway line through Oswestry has been bought by Shropshire County Council for just £60,000, a fraction of its original £300,000 price tag, it has been revealed.The line between Gobowen and Llanyblodwel was bought for one-fifth of the original asking price put on the 20-mile route by Network Rail.
The deal, struck after a decade of negotiations, paves the way for the long-awaited heritage railway, which train enthusiasts say will bring a huge economic boost to the town.
The county council’s legal department is now in talks with the Cambrian Railways Trust and the Cambrian Railways Society with a view to offering them leases of the track at a peppercorn rate.
The Cambrian Railways Trust aims to operate the service between Gobowen and Llynclys, linking with its existing mile-long heritage line running from Llynclys, south to Pant.
The separate Cambrian Railways Society is set to take over the Llynclys to Llanyblodwel section of the line. Both routes would overtail making Oswestry the centre of a potentially highly successful tourist rail network.
Mike Rowe, spokesman for the Cambrian Railways Trust said he was surprised by the sale price as it was quoted much higher.
But he added they were now hoping to sign a 50-year lease at £1 a year.
He said: “We have got the lease which we are looking at. There are one or two adjustments either side and hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will get it sorted.
“We have got a meeting with the Heritage Lottery Fund in October but we can’t sit down with them until the lease is signed.”
He added if successful, lottery funding would be used to upgrade the original track bed from Llynclys junction to Oswestry.
4 Comments
Considering the state of the railway line I wonder how much more public money will have to be thrown at this project - and does anyone think that traffic will be brought to a standstill on the A5 and A483 every time a train wants to go over?
ye I think the traffic will be brought to a stand still every time a train goes over the level crossing on the A5 and the A483, but hey so what. If that is the price to put a pot of money in to the already poor mans town of Shropshire then holding up the traffic when a train goes bye, then so be it. Its not a if were talking commuter train hurtling through every 15 mins…
This is a great idea.
This is a great deal for Oswestry and the business community. Shrops CC. have done really well here, and are now set to control this valuable asset on behalf of the railway preservation movement.
Let’s now welcome the visitors!!
John.