And the county town could replace Wrexham as the main base for trains on the route after the Welsh Assembly refused funding for the project, meaning stops at Wrexham and Gobowen could be axed.

The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company (WSMR) is seeking money from other sources in order to start the service in Wales.

The operational centre would be the hub of the long-awaited rail link.

To build it in Wrexham, which unlike Shrewsbury does not have many vital facilities, would cost around £1 million.

WSMR director John Nelson said the company had received a letter from the Welsh Assembly saying that it was ineligible for a grant and that Wrexham did not qualify for employment grants.

“This could affect whether or not the trains run through to Wrexham or, whether all the trains run through to Wrexham. But it won’t affect whether the trains run from Shrewsbury or Telford,” he said.

“Our preferred option would be to have the centre at Wrexham for operational reasons. It is better for operational reasons to have your trains overnight where they are going to be starting.”

“For those reasons, Wrexham is the preferred location, however it does not currently have the facilities to allow trains to be protected there at night. Some facilities simply don’t exist, such as battery charges, and they do at Shrewsbury.”