Wrexham & Shropshire axes unprofitable London route
Wednesday 3rd November 2010, 11:17AM GMT.
A Shropshire rail company has decided to axe one of its Shrewsbury to London Marylebone daily services because it claims not enough passengers are using it to make it run profitably.
The changes to train services operated by Wrexham & Shropshire will take effect from December 12.
Two off-peak return services will be combined to cut the four services to London Marylebone down to three.
After analysing customer travel patterns, Wrexham & Shropshire bosses said several off-peak services are not running profitably.
The decision has been taken to combine the two least used weekday off-peak services and run one less service in each direction per day.
Saturday will also be reduced from four to three trains in each direction.
Andy Hamilton, managing director at Wrexham & Shropshire, said: “Our unique position as a local train operator working without subsidy means that our viability is directly affected by passenger numbers.”
He added: “The change will not affect travel for over 70 per cent of our passengers and will allow us to focus our resources on growing our business where demand is greatest. We know that some customers will be inconvenienced, and for that we apologise.”
The changes mean the 11.27 and 15.25 trains running from Wrexham to Marylebone will be replaced by a service at 13.28 arriving in London at 17.30.
The 07.20 and 11.20 trains from London Marylebone to Wrexham will be replaced by a service at 09.20 arriving in Wrexham at 13.20.
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Well, they did warn us to ‘use it or loose it’ and clearly there was less use than necessary.
Shame as its one of the best railway operators in the country – maybe their German owners are doing some cost cutting rather than going for expansion?
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Shame. Always such a good service, and the standard is always like being in first class when you’re in standard. The food is excellent too – and local.
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Oh what a shame I loved travelling on that train.
So relaxing and lovely helpful friendly staff.
It makes train travel so easy.
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Shropshire travellers need to take this as a serious warning that unless they use the W and S trains more regularly they will lose them completely!! That would be a disaster for business and tourism in our county as Shropshire would become a backwater which would be difficult (and expensive)to access from London and the South of England.
Use it or lose it!!
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Sadly it was on the cards. You see some of their trains with virtually nobody on them. Once Virgin got into Wrexham, it was always going to be a struggle. No rail company in years has been interested in a decent service from here to London yet once WSMR started, Virgin got into Wrexham, tried to get into Shrewsbury and ATW proposed their Aber-London route. Only one decent company out of the lot of them to travel with and they appear to be slowly fading. Very sad.
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There is an opportunity here for Wrexham & Shropshire trains to take up the slack left by sluggish First Great Western and its sloth-like service to and from London Paddington…
FGW has tightened its restrictions on Off-Peak travel out of London Paddington. Today, the FGW service is even more pants than before..
A FGW Super Off-Peak ticket is no longer valid for any departure from Paddington via Newport leaving after 14.45 and before 19.15 weekdays.
And a FGW Off-Peak is no longer valid for departure from Paddington leaving after 15.45 and before 19.15 weekdays.
That means Ludlow to London is now upwards of £150 return, if you want to return on FGW between those hours.
However, for those in the south of the county (Ludlow, Craven Arns, and Church Stretton), who normally travel back from London via Newport, there is a far more convenient alternative..
An Off-Peak ticket “to/from London Terminals” is valid for the 16.30 Wrexham and Shropshire service from London Marylebone. and it’s the same price as a slow-coach ticket home on First Great Western from London Paddington…
And best of all, you don’t have to stand for half the journey, as is often the case of FGW…
From the Daily Telegraph (9 Nov, 2010)…
“According to the latest official statistics the worst levels of overcrowding are to be found on trains operated by First Great Western”…
So Wrexham & Shopshire… remember us in Ludlow, Craven Arms and Church Stretton.. We want to travel with you too.. so think about a ticket-tie-up with ATW services from those stations. How’s about a deal for us too.. poach the rail users from FGW – they don’t deserve us!
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