Wrexham & Shropshire Trains in shock closure
Wednesday 26th January 2011, 12:00PM GMT.
SHROPSHIRE’S ONLY direct rail link to London will close this week with the loss of 55 jobs, it was announced today.
The Shrewsbury-based Wrexham & Shropshire service will cease operations on Friday, less than three years after it launched in the county.
The news came as the service today received the highest ratings in the UK for passenger satisfaction in a study by Passenger Focus, which found 96 per cent of users were satisfied with their journey.
Bosses today blamed falling passenger numbers for the decision and said last year alone the service made a loss of £2.8 million. They said despite an investigation into “all possible alternatives” there was “no prospect” of the company being profitable and making a return for investors.
German
The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway (WSMR), now run by Chiltern, an offshoot of DB, the German state railway, said it was not insolvent nor is it being placed in administration and added all outstanding financial commitments will be met.
Other rail jobs are being sought for the 55 employees and all staff wages and full redundancy entitlements will be paid, the firm said.
The service launched in Shropshire in April 2008 with five return services a day. It dropped to four and then to three last December.
Chairman Adrian Shooter, CBE, said: “Regrettably, we have concluded that the potential for further changes to the company’s operations, including any synergy with Arriva Trains Wales, will not improve the financial position sufficiently.”
Monty Python star and former Shrewsbury School pupil Michael Palin, who unveiled the firm’s new fleet last January, expressed sadness at the news.
He said: “It was a wonderful railway and the passengers came first on it. I’m very sad indeed to think that it hasn’t worked out.”
Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, today said: “This shows conclusively that performance counts for nothing on our railways.”
Virgin Trains today confirmed that it will carry passengers who will be left stranded by the cancellation of all services of the WSMR.
By Russell Roberts
Below: Footage of a Wrexham & Shropshire Trains service as it travelled from Shrewsbury to London Marlyebone in 2010.
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What a shame! We have used this service many times and it is a much better way to travel to London than any of the alternatives. The service was good, the seats comfortable and of course not having to change trains during the journey just made it great! It is hard to understand why – the trains always seemed to be busy and everyone using the line loved it!
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Tragic.
Best service going.
Best wishes to all the employees, you were the best.
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Quite simply: how rail travel should be. This is a very great loss. Thank you for a truly excellent service and best wishes for the future to all the staff.
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Such a great shame, was an excellent service i have used on several occasions. I do hope the lovely staff find alternative work quickly.
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Terrible news. This was a great service, which treated its customers very well indeed.
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A sad day. But this is classic “use it or lose it”. We haven’t used it and it’s gone. IT WAS NOT A CHARITY.
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Worringly, we can now all look forward to a similar economic argument being applied to the NHS…
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Not true. It’s not a case of being sentimental, all other railway companies enjoy hefty subsidies that’s how they survive and we as taxpayers are paying for it.
Also as soon as WSMR started a service from Wrexham to London Virgin jumped on the bandwagon and set up their own trains from there to Euston via Chester, yet they weren’t interested before then. They had already used their monopoly on services from Wolverhampton to London to prevent WMSR from picking up and droppoing off passengers at Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Coventry and forcing them to take a slow and toruous diversion around the suburbs of Birmingham.
This service was the best we have ever had from Shrewsbury and as a family who had purchased tickets to travel from Shrewsbury to London and back this weekend we are gutted to find ourselves forced now to revert to Virgin, who incidentally cannot even reserve us 4 seats on their alternative trains.
Let’s hope WSMR gets rescued. The staff alone do not dereve this treatment.
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Really sad news. Wrexham and Shropshire were miles ahead of its competitors in terms of customer experience, training of staff and value.
I wish all their staff the very best in moving into new employment.
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But it wasn’t miles ahead in terms of its business planning, hence the monumental losses and the fact that the CEO has admitted that the service would NEVER make a profit.
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99% satisfaction rating, excellent service and Shropshire’s only direct link with the capital. But what does all that matter? Someone didn’t make money out of it, so I suppose we’ll all be better off now it’s closing.
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It matters more than anything else. It was a commercial enterprise, not a charity.
I’m sad that it’s gone, but the numbers did not add up. It’s either W&S’s fault, our fault as consumers or a combination of both.
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It struggled
because rivals stopped it calling at Birmingham
because it was forced to follow a tortuous slow route – or not run
because rivals departures at about the same time were offering cheap tickets, not the rest of the day only when W&S were about to depart say Shrewsbury.
because works on the Chiltern Line have been disrupting services
Chiltern also want it out of the way as they plan to run 100mph trains to Birmingham and the slower loco hauled trains will be an obstacle.
gone, mourned and missed whatever the truth of the matter
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Much of this has a ring of truth, although Chiltern would want it to survive. The loco hauled trains are capable of 125mph and again if routing was allowed some through running could have happened, except that Virgin in particular and Arriva were against it.
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Disasterous news. This has been a great service which we have used many times and we shall miss the convenience, the courtesy and helpfulness od the staff.
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Such a brilliant service, far better value for money than it’s competition, amazing customer service. But a mighty shame that more people didn’t use or know about the service.
All the best to the employees.
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“Value for money” – indeed! It was operating at a massive and unsustainable loss.
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There are other definitions of value.
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I agree with you. However, you have to accept the fact that a commercial company cannot survive if it consistently makes a trading loss.
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Not when your running a business!
If its making a loss, it’s time to shut. No company is a charity.
The interesting thing would be if prices were to increase in order for it to be an ecomonically viable company, would the customers remain loyal.
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Quite so. But all was not equal.
It would have been interesting to see how it would have stacked up if they were allowed to compete with a non-stacked deck.
But these things existed from the start, although it wasn’t fair, it wasn’t an unknown either.
This is where a pure market model fails. Choice eventually becomes eroded because those in the market have no incentive to let anyone else in. Once the dominant eradicate choice of provider, they can then reduce the choice of service. Eventually the only choice is take it or leave it.
Trains, Supermarkets, Bookshops: this is the “market”. Like it or not, only we in the form of government which we elect can restrict the stiffling effect of commercialisation stifling quality and choice
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It’s a shame, as they demonstrated how a rail service should operate. Friendly service, great food.
But therein lies the problem… it’s a rail service, and it doesn’t matter how you slice it, dice it or dress it up, unless there are some radical changes then it’s still cheaper, more convenient and often quicker to take the car.
It costs me less than £50 to drive to Hillingdon tube station, park for the day, tube in to Central London, tube back and drive home again. I can be at Waterloo tube station in 3 1/2 hours. I can set off and return when I need to, not according to a rail timetable.
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This is the exact reason that I’m driving to London this weekend and not taking the train. £50 on the train, plus tube fares to my friends house, or £40 on fuel and park outside his house!
Or in February another simple example. I can drive to London for £40, park the car for £30 per night which will be £60 as we are there for the weekend, so a total of £100. Alternatively the train will cost us just over £90 return plus the tube costs which will make the costs comparable, although that isn’t including the taxi costs for me to get to and from Telford Central.
The difference is that driving is quicker, easier and more convenient. Trains are fast enough when you are on them, but that’s not the whole story as you have to wait for them and then transport yourself to your final destination.
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Before comparing fuel and parking costs to a train fare bring in a proportion of the cost of repairs, tire wear, depreciation etc which is how mileage rates are really set by say MHRC and THEN add in your parking costs.
Work your sums out at say 40p or 50p a mile plus parking to get the true comparison with train costs.
And the stresses and strains of driving a car.
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Read my reply to post number 43.
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Really, Squire? When was the last time that you drove there and back?
Latest figures show that the cost in fuel on a journey to London and back is (on average) a shade over £50.00…
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I am really sorry, I wanted to use this train but when needing to make two visits to London recently it was not the most ecomomic option.
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Dreadful news ,We have activeley promoted the train at Telford Travel but alas obviously not enough people have used this amazing option , I have used the service several times ,the service was excellent and the staff were superb.
It made such a change to have clean refurbished carriages and trains that ran on time.
Good luck to all the staff in finding new employment , for the rest of us I guess its back to missed connections in Wolverhampton or Birmingham and having to stand for the privilage
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A tragedy! This has been a superb service from day 1. Massively better (and cheaper!) than the Virgin service.
Can I add my best wishes to all the staff.
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What a disgrace, I travel weekly between Shrewsbury and London, from what I can see my fare will increase from £45/£50 to some £160. I will no doubt have to drive. What are the government doing about it? I have emailed all our regional MP’s and they must take some action to save the service.
Don’t let them get away with it!
David F
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“They” won’t do anything. The service was Open Access which means it was not organised, paid for or protected by the Government in any way. It was a commercial enterprise who thought there was money to be made running this train. There wasn’t so they have pulled out. That will be the end of the matter unless Arriva decide to try again with their Aberystwyth to London service but that would be on horrible cramped trains with the usual horrible service quality we have come to expect from Arriva.
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What a shock, such disappointing news. I always use the service when I go to London. Such nice staff, I wish you all well in getting another job. You’re heads and shoulders above the rest.
@The Original Jake – it doesn’t really help to say that the service was inflexible, just because it doesn’t go at the precise time you want it to. TBH that’s a selfish approach. Aren’t there wider considerations, such as promoting Shropshire, reducing traffic congestion, and cutting CO2 and SO2 emissions?
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Sorry if it offends, but my primary responsibility is to my employers, who ultimately foot my business travel bill. I’m sure the same goes for hundreds of other business travellers who shun the trains in favour of the car. Unless there’s a radical shake up of rail services and fares, then this will always be the case. I thought Wrexham and Shropshire was wonderful when I used it, but given the choice between leaving London at 2.30pm, or paying more and having to wait until the train leaves at 4.30pm, there’s no contest.
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Best train service ever, the only service with genuinely happy staff its so sad
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I’ve used this train on numerous occassions from Banbury to London and to Shropshire and have been an enthusiastic advocate of this quality service. Yesterday I travelled into London with W&S and later to Birmingham on a Pendalino. Impossible to work properly on the Pendalino from Euston due to swaying, felt much more crowded and an awful lot more money. W&S was probably too cheap but as a service provision railway has a lot to commend it. I’m hoping the trains stay on the chiltern line.
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I believe the overall economic model, taking into account the cost of carbon, was better for Wrexham and Shropshire than any of the alternatives (except not going to London). So the issue is how we collectively (not blaming useful scapegoats, like “the government”) agree to start using pricing structures which enable us to make the right choices. The closure of this service is the result of a failure of our collective imagination in not doing so.
AND the staff were personal.
AND you could work, or read, or doze on the journey.
AND it felt like a calmer era.
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Indeed. It would be helpful (although I appreciate unlikely) if W&S could publish rough figures for the prices of tickets that would have made the service economically viable. We certainly didn’t make the choice to travel W&S just on price alone.
A sad loss. Best wishes to the excellent staff.
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gutted!
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Well DB have timed that about right to fold Wrexham and Shropshire. Wrexham and Shropshire whos parent company is DB have got a fleet of highly refurbished trains who are owned by…….DB and Chiltern Trains are desperate for new rolling stock for their London service. And Chiltern Trains are owned by………….youve guessed it DB. Something smells very wrong somewhere
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and also Arriva are to start running a new north wales/south wales express sefvice in May and were having to source stock to run it….well well, coincidence!!!! and also dont forget Arriva wanted to run from Aberystwyth – London but were prevented as it was unfair competition on Wrexham and Shropshire. Is this another coincidence seeing as Arriva are owned by DB?????
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to me this is ike theose who cry crocodile tears when the British Car manufacturers folded, for god sake its too late to care now, vote with your wallets next time, this company has gone simply because the people of Shropshire didnt support it enough, for those who never used it, hang your head in shame
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I’m not sure where you’re coming from ASIF.
The people who used the service are entitled to be upset about its demise. On the other hand, I’ve never used the service because I’ve never had reason to (I’d rather spend a long weekend in Haiti than go to London again) – so why should I hang my head in shame?
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I agree, I’ve never had the call to use it either. I’m sure anyone from Shropshire wanting to travel directly to London have used it, obviously there is just not enough Passengers to sustain the Service. Sorry for the Staff, sorry for the regular users of W&S. But I won’t me made to feel guilty of not using it by some Keyboard Warriors.
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I found it interesting your comment about the swaying of the Pendalino, Mal.
I found that I had travel sickness on a train, something I have never experienced before.
I suppose it was not the cheaper option because I was travelling to Kent, so an all in one ticket was more economical.
I was not impressed with being told different information about whether our tickets covered the London Tube part of our journey too.
We were catagorically informed that it did not at Shrewsbury Station by the man on the barrier when we collected our pre-booked tickets the night before. On after asking several staff during our journey however we found that they should and infact did allow us on the Tube part of the journey.
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I have/had used this service many times for long weekends to London, sad that it has had to go, but i am not surprised i recall other passengers going to london waiting at Telford Central but geting a train to Wolves, then the direct service to London because it was faster, S&W trains only fault was it was so slow.
I guess its wolves then the Virgin express in future for me, starting in 3 weeks :)
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Although the Virgin trains are quicker, I’ll find that I’m spending less time at home because I’ll have to travel at more unsociable hours to keep the costs down. Yet it’ll still cost me twice as much.
I still think this line had potential. The trains were always pretty busy, especially at half terms and summer holidays. And they were so cheap that they had plenty of wiggle room to increase fares. I’m getting peak rate returns during the week for £35 which is a steal.
I also think more Shropshire commuters would have switched from Stafford or Wolves/Brum services once the line improvements brought travel times in a bit. But I’d still take 3 hours on a W&S train over having to change at Wolverhampton or Birmingham any day.
I’m very sad to see this service go and I feel extremely sorry for the staff. They put Virgin to shame and I’m dreading having to go back to using their service on a regular basis.
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Gutted. But not unexpected. Loved everything about W&S
So what now? Will Virgin or Arriva {shudder} try and get back in on the act and provide an extension to their services through our county to London?
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Thie loss of the WSMR will hit Shropshire business and tourism badly. It is therefore vital we start campaigning for an alternative direct service as part of future franchise arrangements. There are 2 ways readers can support this:
1) write/e-mail our MPs to urge the Transport Minister to include a direct rail service to Shropshire in the new West Coast Rail Franchise (presently operated by Virgin) which will start in 2012 and is being drawn at present.
2) secondly respond to the network rail consultation about future services for the West Midlands and Chilterns RUS (rail utilisation strategy)which can be seen at http://www.networkrail.co.uk. The e-mail to respond to is: westmidlandsandchilternsrus@networkrail.co.uk
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good shout, i wish this was publicised more, still people saying something must be backed by the actually spending their money on it and using it fully when the service comes
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Thank you for the practical suggestions. I have posted both on the WSMR page on Facebook (“Wrexham & Shropshire Railway”) where W&SR have almost 1,000 friends.
Hopefully many of those people and also the 1,434 twitter followers they have will do as you suggest.
I’ve already written to Philip Dunne, and will respond to the Network Rail consultation at the weekend.
Note the deadline for responses is 4 February 2011.
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Its true that this is a sad loss and I wish the staff all the best in the future, but it highlights the issue that people just dont use the trains.
Same with Telford Freight Terminal. Another good idea not utilised enough to get HGV’s off the road.
Now what was the councils latest great idea – oh yes more stations…
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Soapbox John, you said ‘people don’t use the trains’.
I disagree.
Numbers using the railways in Shropshire went UP in 2008.
See: http://www.shropshirestar.com/latest/2009/03/24/county-rail-passenger-numbers-rise/
This article from 2010 speaks of ‘high passenger demand’ in Shropshire?
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2010/11/09/arriva-pledge-over-shropshire-crowded-trains/
Rail passenger numbers are increasing across the country.
And internationally, too.
In January 2011 Eurostar said the number of people travelling with them went up 3%.
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Interesting articles indeed, but if you read the above section ‘ Bosses today blamed falling passenger numbers for the decision and said last year alone the service made a loss of £2.8 million.’ If passengers are on the up then why are they making a loss and closing the service?. Surely if the numbers were increasing year on year then they would see this and make the vital investment. As such I stand by my inital comment.
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OK, John. I accept that those were the reasons given locally.
However, nationally the situation with rail use is VERY different.
If you google the ‘Office of Rail Regulation’ and then look at the Statistics section, you will see that your initial comment -‘people don’t use the trains’- is simply untrue.
Nationally 51.1 billion passenger kilometres were travelled in 2009-10.
This is an increase of 1.0% on the previous year.
And there is evidence that long-distance travel by train is becoming more popular.
In the Key Results section, it says that ‘W&S’s timetabled train kilometres fell in 2009-10 because of a reduction in the number of weekday and Saturday services from December 2010′.
Does anyone out there know which came first?
The drop in passenger numbers or the reduction in services?
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See the website of the Association of Rail Operating Companies (31 January 2011) for more information challenging Soapbox John’s unfounded claim:
‘Growth of 6.9% in 2010 takes demand for rail travel to new high levels’.
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Cant believe it, this was a great service, great prices, new trains and excellent staff, I have have used them loads, and as I have just moved to London My parents were going to be using this as it is a direct train and ideal for them as they are not getting any younger and dont need the hassel of changing, this would of been great for them.
Sad loss, wish all the staff the very best x
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This is not only a real loss but also I question why we are subsidising the air route from Anglesey to Cardiff and similarly the express rail route from Anglesey that doesn’t even come thorugh the most densely populated town in North Wales?
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Cannot bear the thought of having to change at New Street – I would have paid more ! for the convenience and the excellent staff. Yes you could do the journey quicker – but its about time everyone slowed down a little! Every journey I had was relaxing, which is more than can be said for Virgin and Arriva. Very sorry to see it go.
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There is no sharp practice. When Virgin Trains (your Original Provider) took on the West Coast franchise and with it the requirement to rebuild the whole railway from London to Glasgow via Brum, they asked for some protection as the job would last 10 or 15 years. That protection was the “moderation of competition” clause. It means no one except Virgin and the existing other trains (now London Midland) can collect passengers from any of the west coast stations including Wolves and Brum and take them to London. This is why WSMR called at Tame Bridge Parkway and could only set down at Wolves. WSMR knew of these rules before they decided to start their service so the rules alone cannot be blamed. These rules expire on 1st April 2012 when the West Coast Franchise will be renewed (and so may not be Virgin anymore).
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I wonder if the people who complain about the inflexibility of train departure and arrival times compared to “car being right there” apply the same criteria to aircraft and ferry travel? Of course they don’t. W&S times and journey times were dictated by the refusal by the authorities to allow them to use faster routes with pick-up at busier stations e.g Wolverhampton. I’m afraid it’s typical of Shropshire, something new tried, the people complain about it, dont use it and we lose it. Give it a few months before the bleating starts about lack of direct connections to London again. And £40 too high a fare? Give me a break. Don’t just take petrol into account when pricing a car journey either. Wear and tear, environmental damage etc. PS. Can I borrow the car of that lady who can do London for £40 in petrol?
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My car averages 47mpg. Telford to Central London and back is 297 miles. Today’s diesel price on my local forecourt is 129.9p. To save you doing the maths, the fuel for the journey costs £37.27. That’s less than £40 and it’s not rocket science. If you can’t do it for that in your car, you need to think about a more economical (and less polluting) model.
I don’t quite understand the comparison with air and ferry times, by the way. I’m not sure how that works as there aren’t many amphibious cars around.
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Sorry to be a dissenting voice, but i think this was inevitable…. InterCity (ask your dad) could not make it work economically and hence pulled the plug in the early 90s – nothing appears to have fundamentally changed since then…
Hopefully now all those who enjoyed the service will back the calls/campaigns for a better service between SY and Wolves/Brum. As somebody who has been a regular commuter for 20 years (and in London now three times a week), the need to change isn’t a massive issue, its the poor service to get to the change point and the poor timetabling.. will we ever see the line electrified I wonder???
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And if High Speed 2 goes ahead connections for London at Birmingham/Wolverhampton are likely to be fewer and certainly slower. Instead of wasting billions on HS2 to save a few minutes between Outer Birmingham and London, it would much better be invested in electrifying to Salop and improving both the former GWR route and West Coast route to London and you’d have change left over to reduce fares too.
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Mike, that’s NOT why the service was pulled. Apparently someone with clout wanted trains for a service in another area, so they decided to pull the service from Shropsihre to Euston to provide them with the extra train stock they needed.
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A sad loss indeed. The service was way over anything offered on the Virgin routes, and Marylebone is so much nicer than the Euston hell hole.
Best wishes to all the staff, you truly will be missed. Back to being squeezed aboard overcrowded Pendolinos each time I take the train to London from now on then – oh joy!
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such a crying shame, cant they bail them out like they did with the banks
why dont the council bail them out, they bailed out the west mid show, and they subsidise the buses, this is much more socially benefitial
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Three (or 5 as it was) train pairs a day between Leamington and London hardly constituted a rival service to Chiltern’s half hourly London-Birminghams.
The blame for this lies at the feet of Virgin, who did not allow access to Wolverhampton and Coventry to W&S, and Network Rail (no doubt encouraged by Virgin) who kept them out of Birmingham.
In addition, Virgin controlled ticketing organisations (TrainLine, Virgin-run booking offices) were incredibly obstructive about providing information and tickets for W&S.
The way this lovely company have been stopped is absolutely pitiful.
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major shame. not only the best service to london but the best to wrexham as well.pity not all services stopped at wellington. far better than the crowded arriva services. i suppose we will now have to put up with the two trains in ten minutes and then none for another hour stupidity from wolverhampton to shrewsbury !!
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It’s a shame stage coaches no longer exist – you could have gone for the horse-drawn option.
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why dont you put your proper name to your comment. to lack that makes your comment cowardly as well as childish and stupid. this is a serious subject and needs to be treated in such manner.
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Would you expose yourself as a Telford fan?
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A black day for Shropshire, and all those who used the service. Service with style- the old fashioned excellent customer service. Unlike the often souless experience on other trains.
Cant anything be done to save it?
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And I was on it yesterday! Even though the train broke down and we were an hour late into Cosford, the friendliness of the staff on board and their attitude to the traveller was so refreshing who cares whether we were an hour late, travelling on a service that is not comparable to any other in my opinion. So now I have to go from Wolverhampton at 3 times the cost, but perhaps therein lies the problem – too cheap but too few passengers, some of which cannot afford an additional hour each way.
A sad day for railways and in particular the staff of W&S
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tragic for the town, obviously the immediate impact of the shrewsbury based team of staff but longer term people set up businesses and buy homes in a place like shrewsbury with the thought in the back of their mind how easily can i get to london for business, this will make companies think twice about coming to this town
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Very sad news….a great service with great and informed / helpful staff…a direct service from Wellington to Marylebone that could not be beat. So it will be back to changing trains at Birmingham, (or missing connections), and using the often crowded and dirty local train service at this end.
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Somebody thinks they will be able to get to London forever by car. Time will tell, but I expect the future will not be like the past with all that ‘convenience’. The present carbon model, whether individual travel modules are powered directly by carbon or indirectly by nuclear, I suspect, will not be sustainable. But not for us to worry about now it appears.
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I suspect by “someone” you’re referring to me, since I made the original comment. Well, cars won’t always be powered by fossil fuels. If there was a viable, sustainable alternative available today, I’d buy one. And it is for us to worry about now, which is why billions is being ploughed into R&D.
You’re way off topic anyway. This story isn’t about the future of transport, it’s about the demise of a company that understood the true meaning of customer service. It will be a great loss to those who found the service useful. Sadly, there weren’t enough of them.
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Sad day for anybody who loses their job. I personally know 4 of the drivers at WSMR who left ARRIVA for a massive pay rise (No wonder they were happy at the time) But as said before they thought they could make money when any body who knows the railway will know DIFFERENT. The staff could afford to be happy and cheerful they do not have to deal with some of the low life that frequent Arriva and Virgin trains.
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Good news, folks! Virgin says “Virgin Trains remains committed to Wrexham and will continue to run the current Monday to Friday direct service…”
Phew! That’s alright, then! Hang on. Isn’t that the service that Virgin started as a spoiler operation?
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Great shame its finished, used it many times from Wrexham,great staff, comfort and food. As said though not allowed to use Virgin route didnt help. Perhaps fares to cheap and time from Wrexham to London was a bit too long.Yes cannot MP’s etc in the areas and the Councils put up a fight to try and keep it? All unite? Virgin terrible treated like cattle. Arriva you are cattle with trains filthy and staff looking unwashed and dont care. Lets fight it to stay!!
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Well done to the students of economics above who claim it is cheaper to drive to London from Shrewsbury, than to use W & S. Try only factored not only petrol costs, but also wear and tear, depreciation,etc on the car for which a figure of 40 pence per mile is commonly used. Maybe you use someone else’s car?
This does demonstrate that the individual does not always make rational economic decisions and various other factors are at play. Just a shame for W & S that a significant section of the travelling public can’t see beyond the comparing cost of filling the tank and a train ticket.
W & S was the only viable way to get to London before 9am for me and I live on the coast in Mid Wales! I shall very much miss standing at Cosford station at 6.17 and the standard of service. W & S managed to grow a atmosphere where people actually talked to each other rather than sitting in ipod isolation.
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Clive, it also fails to take into account the current high fuel costs.
Get stuck on the M25 or the motorway back to Shropshire and see that tank head towards empty!
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Like many people who are required to travel a lot on business, I receive a car allowance as part of my salary, which contributes to the cost of purchasing a suitable car and covers depreciation.
The fuel allowance, whilst much lower than the 40p going rate, covers fuel and wear & tear (brakes, tyres, servicing, etc). It would be churlish to take the train and submit an expense claim, don’t you think? I’m sure the same rational economic decision making process applies to almost all frequent business travellers in the same position.
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hear hear
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Well said Clive, it’s amazing how blinkered most car drivers can be!
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In answer to H. St John Peasbody’s point that “It’s either W&S’s fault, our fault as consumers or a combination of both.” How about it being the fault of the private railway system? Or the lack of a level playing field? A train company in the SE can receive subsidies and provide such a poor service that it is hated and yet it survives. And there’s also the small matter of banks being rescued; they too were commercial enterprises and not charities. Yet they’re still here. Whatever merits the capitalist system has, ensuring that the BEST product succeeds is clearly not one of them.
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The best product (or service) will not succeed if there is insufficient demand for it.
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Using a pre-booking service you could get a Wrexham and Shropshire return for £20.
With Virgin the cost is £57.
Thank you, Richard Branson, the King of Competition. (Or not…)
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I have used the W&S service many times over the last couple of years for both work and play. I can only agree with most of you what a real, real shame it is to see this service go for mainly the same reasons as everyone else (comfort, cost, seating, staff, food, destination). Personally, I would have to think much harder about arranging a social visit to London using the other operators/routes (work apart – that can’t be helped), since these alternatives are just so damn stressful to me, no fun at all!
Goodbye W&S – Bless you!
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Had my say on this disgusting turn of events with regard to the cessation of this Rail Service on the E&S forum! … interesting how E&S cherry pick their topics! .. but that is a festering sore for another time.
To those who seem to advocate this sad demise as acceptable I say don’t overlook the stench of Virgins smelly footprint in this closure.
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IK have never travelled on this serviced but judging by the comments other train companys could not match their serviced so maybe they have manipulated the system to oust this service?
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I travelled to London by W&SR only yesterday.
It was not the quickest service from the Midlands to London but it was the best by a country mile.
The staff were all friendly and attentive and the fares not overpriced.
The carriages had comfortable seats with tables and windows unlike the horrible Virgin Pendolinos and the food excellent.
Farewell W&SR you will be missed!
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salopians are traitors to this cause, they all said they wanted a direct train, they all claim retrospectively to have loved it, yet it failed to make a profit due to lack of interest, YOU HAVE LET YOUR COUNTY DOWN!!!!
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great sevis sadley missed ,
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Used this train a few times last year during the school hols, made plans already to visit London this year, this service was great as you only need one train, good luck to all the staff.
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What a wonderful flagship service you have provided and bravo to all the staff for a job well done.. have a bonus… oh sorry your not a bank… perhaps you should change your name.
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Yet again Shropshire suffers! We had British Rail heavily discriminating aganist Shropshire in 1992 just prior to the through service withdrawal, when it cost £21 from Hereford or Chester to London, yet £58 from Shrewsbury.
In 1998 the temporary reinstatement of the through service was so slow that it was overtaken at Wolverhampton by a train which left Shrewsbury later and stopped at more stations.
Now, the line towards London is so slow that most cars overtake trains on the parallel A5, and even the twisty and hilly line to Hereford has a higher speed limit.
Shropshire isn’t even a poor destination, Telford is one of the fastest growing towns in the country with a far lareger popoultation than Kings Lynn which has been electrified, in fact larger than Norwich too (for example), or any of the North Wales towns which get a regular through service. The line then goes to Shrewsbury which is a significant junction to many destinations.
It’s a great shame for WSM after all the sterling work they’ve put in against the odds, and high time our local papers and our MP showed a good deal more concern about the poor rail deal we get in Shropshire.
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A great service, it’s a shame it’s going. Only train service that I encountered happy staff… that’s a rare thing at the best of times.
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Blame Virgins monopoly of the line from Wolverhampton to Coventry.
Absolute disgrace.
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We can all thank Thatcher for selling our railways. Nice one Maggie, gizza job
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With petrol prices rising to unprecedented levels every effort must be made to encourage affordable rail travel. The present govt is directly in charge of the east coast line and I think it should take over this one to ensure continuity of service and to save the mnore than 50 jobs.Every European country subsidises public transport and I do hope this line can continue to operate.Come in Sir Stelios, make an offer!
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What a huge huge shame for everyone who used the service and for the friendliest train staff in the whole of the UK who are losing their jobs.
Never before have I used a train service that has actually made me look forward to train travel. W&S were a shining example to other companies about how to run a train service.
It’s tragic that we are seemingly losing it due to the pressures of the big boys like virgin throwing their toys out the pram about access to birmingham etc…Branson should hang his head in shame.
A fantastic service that I loved using, that made travel between Shrewsbury and the capital something to be enjoyed. I fear that any replacement service will be hugely inferior. And in the mean time it’s back to grotty local services to crewe or birmingham then getting onto one of Branson’s smelly, cramped, overcrowded and under-staffed excuses for a train. The thought alone puts me off travelling between Shrewsbury and London.
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terrible news. I live in Mexico but always use Wrexham and Shriopshire tains when travelling home to Much Wenlock and visits to London. Great service, cheap, freindly , comfortable, punctual. Shame on Bransons virgin (overpriced bad service) for doing everything to affect this service. I really really hope that somebody saves this service. A great loss for Shropshire!
Julian Flavell
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I echo all the sad comments and agree with the reasons given for the demise of WSMR. There was also another factor though – the services were never accurately listed in the GB timetable. It was full of errors and omissions. I shall miss my trips to London so much.
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As previously mentioned Wrexham and Shropshire Railways are part of the German Railways DB group, their sister company Chiltern Railways need to find stock to use on the new Birmingham Snow Hill to Marleybone service, they have already been using and S stock, this is more profitable than the Wrexham to London service which receives no subsidy.
I would not surprise me if Virgin or Arriva Trains Wales which do receive subsidys start a service this year.
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I had become rather fond of the “snail train”.
It was fairly obvious that it was not a viable proposition at such low prices. Plenty of passengers, but if they are not paying a reasonable ticket price there would never be a prospect of a ROI.
Plenty of people knock Virgin. I think unfairly, I travelled home from London today, £25. Booked only a few days in advance.
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This is a result of other train companies not allowing W & S picking passengers up at Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street. However, the German government own W and S aswell as Arriva. Arriva have wanted to run a service to London for a while as it was reported in the Shropshire Star sometime ago. Does this mean that as a path has now been cleared, Arriva will now fill the gap?
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I feel sad that this plucky little railway company has gone; the service, friendliness and attention to customer needs were second to none. Ok,it took a little longer to get there, but as many have echoed, in life it is the journey that matters, not simply the getting there.
I hope the staff are able to transfer their enthusiasm and skills to other railway companies (where my recent experiences would suggest they are much needed!)
And, it was OUR railway.
It folded due to underuse: you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone.
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Reading some of the comments that have been about this company since it began its service, I wonder what planet some people are living on.
I don’t blame writers such as Paul, above, as they’ve been fed a diet of half-truths and myths from the beginning (mainly, I’m sorry to say, by the Star), that inevitably leads to the idea of “a plucky little railway company”.
Reading much of the coverage you could be forgiven for thinking that the service was run by volunteers, propped up by donations, with rolling stock lovingly restored after being rescued from museums and scrapyards, along the lines (the pun was intentional) of the “Titfield Thunderbolt”.
The simple fact is that the company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DB, who also own several of the competing services. Presumably it was a marketing ploy, that either failed or has now served its purpose.
My sympathies lie with those who have lost their jobs and the passengers who used and enjoyed the service.
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It wasn’t the Severn Valley Railway! It was a commercial organisation with a flawed business plan which made huge losses at a rate of £7,600 a day!
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Salopian Paul, you said it ‘folded due to underuse’.
To me it seemed that numbers were going UP, not down, each time I used it.
The figures showed that it created NEW CUSTOMERS when it arrived on the scene. See: http://www.shropshirestar.com/latest/2009/03/24/county-rail-passenger-numbers-rise/
Rail passenger numbers are increasing nationally and internationally, as people aspire to greener transport. (Rail travel is 2 to 3 times more energy efficient than going by car.)
Rob, would you not recognise from the public’s response that people have genuine affection for this company?
It is not a ‘half-truth’ or a ‘myth’ to say that this affection is sincere.
The reason for this warmth of feeling is because W&S’s friendly, welcoming, reasonably-priced, clean, punctual and efficient service was EXACTLY what people want in an era of greener transport aspirations.
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Huw, at no point have I suggested a lack of affection from the public for this service – I have never spoken to anyone who has used the service speak other than highly of it.
In my comment I was criticising (and if I didn’t make it clear enough for you then I suggest it’s you that’s got a problem) the way that the company has been portrayed as a “plucky LITTLE company” – when in fact it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of a massive multi-national comapny.
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So you didn’t actually mean all that stuff about supporters of the service inhabiting different planets, unthinkingly swallowing half-truths and myths?
OK
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I meant what I said Huw – how you choose to interpret it is up to you.
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Ignore Huw. He’ll find a way to pick an argument with you even if you happen to agree with him.
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Do you think supporters of this service were gullible, Jake?
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i agree with the sentiments expressed above in relation to supply and demand, they supplied the trains, the people of Wrexham and Shropshire did not use them enough and so they have proven beyond doubt that there is no need for a direct train to London, they have failed to support their local business just as these same people bleat about town centre shops whilst going to Tesco every weekend, they are fickle, two faced hypocrites the lot of them
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Yet again Shropshire or the Republica of Salopia becomes a cut off back water. Yes I know many want it that way, but we are not in Wales and do not get Welsh funding.
Compared to Holland, France, Germany to name a few, our train service is an utter disgrace. The only reason I drive 80,000 miles a year is because quite simply there is no alternative in the UK. Last month I was out for a night in Birmingham and had to leave early because the trains back home were so useless. In Holland they run until 2-3am.
I consider myself to be a very flexible and adaptable person, but the trains here are a joke.
I feel sorry for the people who relied on it and and of course those who have lost their jobs and you could argue that this sad loss equates to the fact that the service was not necessary or that it is not funded enough to make it a no brainer to get to London by train or drive all the time like I do.
Only when a duel-carriage way is built extending the A5 to Aberystwyth will the UK consider Shrewsbury and Telford to be important commuter towns on major networks.
Wise up, we are lucky to have water and electricity in our sleepy county.
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Will Virgin & other train companies follow the example of W & S & do away with Peak fares,I think not.
Good luck to the excellent Staff for the future.
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This is a real shame. I travel to London for work occasionally and had actually started to enjoy the journeys when I discovered I could get a direct train from Telford.
What is our local MP doing about this? Nothing probably! Oh well back to travel and business as usual.
Wrexham and Shropshire staff were the best I have ever encountered (both on the trains and in their office) I hope they all get alternative jobs.
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You will be sadly missed W&S but thanks for the excellent service you provided and good luck to all your staff for the future !!
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As a regular traveller to London, Wrexham & Shropshire represented everything I could have wished for. A consistently friendly and dependable service that was value for money and, in good travel conditions, very reliable. The ticketing options allowed me the flexibility to purchase tickets to suit different situations. For important engagements and work, I could purchase flexible tickets at the station or on board the train without penalty. For leisure visits, I could take advantage of the cheap advance offers online. Having travelled extensively by train across Britain, this service has simply stood out. To me this was arguably the most ‘complete’ service from start to finish, an example to other operators as to what can be achieved. It had that ‘human’ element which made it more than just a means of getting from A to B. Though this has been a sad day for me and many others, I would like to express a big thank you to all the staff and managers. This current economic situation has not rewarded them. I hope that they, along with the rolling stock, will be successfully re engaged elsewhere.
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Seriously, a terrible shame. From a business prespective I will really miss this service. In fact it’ll have a major impact on my business. We’re only small and the difference between the cost of a S&W ticket vs a Virgin ticket is enormous. Sign the petition to save it is here http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/wrexhamandshropshire
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Absolutely gutted. To those that never used the train service, it was a blast from the past, when quality seats, tables, curtains, carpets were the norm.
I think they could have charged more and I would have paid.
Much was made of the service providing transport to London. I wonder how much marketing was done in London to promote our part of the world.
It’s an hour to Wolverhampton by car/train. The direct line was one of the most exciting things to happen to Shropshire in years.
I really don’t feel that this service had to go. I really don’t. Something could be done. Something! Anyone fancy lobbying DB?
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Of course W&S were batting with one hand behind their back from the start. But strange that Virgin having ceased running trains from Wrexham via the WCML, should reinstate their “service” (one train a day!!) when W&S were operating directly to London. Naturally, Virgin would not like a company like W&S competing against them, for W&S showed ALL UK train companies how a service that gave REAL customer service and value for mony, with simple easily understood fare structures could opertate with the best customer satisfaction ever. I know, for I live on the WCML and when W&S came along I stopped using Virgin and their AWFUL Penolinos with seats next to a plastic walls and smelly toilets. Instead I and drove to Cosford to take the superior and cheaper W&S, speed is not “everything”. Let us hope that DB gets the WCML francise in 2012, and uses the W&S service ethos as their model for customer service on a full mainline network. Maybe then Shropshire will get back its direct service with stops at Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street. Think, then there would be London to Scotland trains with a meal service? Best wishes to all W&S staff form a saddend but satisfied customer.
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Just got back from Marylebone on the 2nd to last train. What a wonderful service this was – very comfortable refurbished BR coaches (miles better than vile Pendolinos), very friendly staff and much better VFM than Virgin.
I have used the W&S many times to get to London and travelled 1st class, something I could not justify with Virgin prices.
I can’t bring myself to use Virgin so I’ll probably drive to London now.
Virgin receive a massive subsidy from the taxpayer and have forced this fantastic little company (that received no subsidy) out of business – I seem to recall Branson complaining about British Airways behaviour, what a hypocrite.
Thoroughly disgusted at this.
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sO MANY DISAPPOINTED PEOPLE ITS AMAZING.
where were all of you when the train needed customers!!!
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I was using W&S, were you?
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I would like to thank all the poeple of Shropshire and beyond who made the effort to come out on a cold frosty night to cheer the last Wrexham and Shropshire train to run from London To Wrexham – I was the the driver of the train and was completely overwhelmed by the support and best wishes offerd to all the staff at Wrexham and Shropshire – We are all a big family and have vowed to stay friends and the emotions that every one of us are facing is extremely sad – on behalf of the staff at Wrexham and Shropshire a huge thank you to all that have supported us.
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Thank you. I was one of those people who joined a small crowd at Telford to welcome the last train home (see photo at Shropshire Fights Back). It just goes to show how much we thought about the service. The petition to save it has already reached 3,000. Good luck to you all.
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Tony
Thanks for all your hard work for W and S.
The story is not over – a lot of people are lobbying politicians/government to get something done quickly. The behaviour of the senior management at DB/Chiltern was disgraceful!
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A shame. Really.
I am an overseas student studying in Shropshire.
They provide such a easy, comfort and amazing service to passengers.
Now without them, I am forced to change multiple times and travel with Arriva Trains, which is shockingly bad.
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What a great shame that this superb, first class train company has gone. It was good while it lasted! The people who worked for W&S, and i mean the guys on the front line, on the trains, were superb. Always helpful, always cheery, and provided excellent on-board service – other ‘subsidised by us mugs the taxpayers’ train companies hang your heads in shame! There will be no other train operator like W&S. Where else would the train driver walk back from the cab on arrival in London, help you off with luggage, and escort you to the barrier after finding a luggage trolley? All the staff on these trains were truly superb, nothing was too much trouble, even when things went wrong. Good luck to you all in finding other jobs, you all deserve the best there is out there. And to all you managers at Chiltern Railways, i hope you are now satisfied that you have finally got your hands on those nice new refurbished trains, you can now go and wreck them on your Chiltern Express’s, in the same way as you have wrecked W&S! Hang your head in shame Mr Chairman!!!
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My daughter travelled home Friday last, using W&S as she has done since it started. Got on at Marylebone and off at Gobowen some 3.5 hours later. The journey back today well – 7:43 Gobowen to Chester, half hour late, missed connection at Chester, waited for next one to Euston – cancelled! Travelled to Crewe, missed connection eventually got train to Euston arrived some 4.5 hours after setting out. W&S may have been slow but it was one train and service with a smile. I wonder if Arriva and Virgin who were so keen to have a direct link to London a few months ago will now enable this service, I think not.
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It is agreat shame that the Wrexham & Shropshire Railway Company is now no longer .Most people wished the train service well , but at the back of our minds , was the concern that the train was nor allowed to Stop/Pick up and set down at Wolverhampton , Birmingham New Street or at Coventry , this was down to Virgin , Arriva also Network rail also some legal firm. Were they unaware that trains had run to London from Shropshire well before the companies mentioned even thought of entering the field . We hear much of open access , but little guys get kicked around . Now that this sevice has gone , it means less seats for those who travel , now it’s back to over crowding noise and sometimes dirty coaches .
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