Why Shropshire needs a direct rail link to London
Shropshire campaigners, politicians and business leaders say they are desperate for the reintroduction of a direct rail link between the county and London.
Shropshire campaigners, politicians and business leaders say they are desperate for the reintroduction of a direct rail link between the county and London.
This week the Department of Transport is expected to announce who will take over the running of the West Coast Mainline – a decision that could pave the way for the reintroduction of a direct service.
Transport giants Main Line, Virgin, First Group, Abeillo, and Keolis have all put in bids to take over the route, which links London to Birmingham and Glasgow.
The contract will begin this December and run initially until March 2026, but could be extended for a further 20 months after that.
With the award of the lengthy contract offering hope of restoring a direct link between Shropshire and London, campaigners have been working hard to promote the county’s case for a new London service.
County MPs have held a series of meetings with the rail contenders, as well as with Department of Transport chiefs. Officials from organisations such as Shropshire Council and Shropshire Chamber of Commerce have also attended talks in the past few months to put across their support for restoring the link.
It follows the demise of the Wrexham & Shropshire service in January last year after owners DB Schenker made a £2.8million loss.
Although popular with its regular passengers, the Wrexham & Shropshire service was hampered by the fact it could not run through Birmingham, meaning the journey took about three hours.
Mandy Thorn, chairman of the Shropshire Business Board, said a reinstated rail link was hugely important for the local economy and Shropshire’s tourism industry.
“We are the only county that doesn’t have a direct rail link to the capital. For tourism in particular, it is incredibly important,” she said.
“It is a major frustration that we have got all these wonderful tourist attractions and yet you can’t get to us on the train. For businesses, it is something people expect and they can’t believe they can’t get here directly.
“It does make people think about investing in the county. Good transport links are non-negotiable now for businesses.”
She said that even if the link is not included in the winning bid for the franchise, the fight for the service will go on.
“We feel there is a strong business case. It will be incredibly disappointing if it is not included, but if it is not, it won’t stop us continuing,” she said.
A briefing document from the Department of Transport in January revealed that there had been a high number of calls for a new service to the capital during a public consultation.
According to the report, people wanted to see direct services from Shropshire to London, calling at Shrewsbury, Telford, Wrexham and Wellington, and an additional stop at Milton Keynes Central. Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski said huge efforts had been made to put across the county’s case to decision-makers.
He said plans to greatly increase the number of homes in Shropshire in the next few years helped to back the argument that the connection is needed.
“We have left no stone unturned in trying to persuade them,” the MP said.
“We are trying to explain to them that it will be commercially viable because Shrewsbury and Shropshire are growing.
Tim O’Brien, 59, from Wenlock Road in Shrewsbury, is one of the campaigners who has written to the Department of Transport on the issue.
He said the introduction of the service would make life easier for passengers in Shropshire, while also helping Shrewsbury’s economy.
“Changing at Birmingham is a bit of a nightmare,” he said.
See more reaction from local MPs and business leaders in today's Shropshire Star
Comments for: "Why Shropshire needs a direct rail link to London"
Barefoot Lucy
I miss the direct link, I used it for work, but to be honest, a lot of the time there was no more than 5 or 6 of us. You can't run like that
Doubter
Will Shropshire use it though? If going on past operations it will be an empthatic No, Lack of use killed the previous links + added costs of tickets which seem to be rising way above infaltion every 6 to 8 months.
I used the Wrexham/Shropshire train to london many times and would the new venture however long it lasts.
Port Hill Boy
"Daniel Kawczynski said huge efforts had been made to put across the county’s case to decision-makers."
Unfortunately the case is weak. It doesn't make financial sense for the train companies, statistics show that consistent passenger numbers are poor, and therefore it won't happen.
Lots of tub thumping will not influence the profits-driven views of the companies.
pete
It doesn't take a physicist or an engineer to understand the fiscal problem , DK MP is certainly no Baron Beeching.
Roger
Capacity is not the issue. This is a service that has been running as long as the railways have existed until privatisation. In the past it was a case of how many not if. Mainline trains from Liverpool to London and of course the Cambrian Coast Express were once considered essential. As rail use is now higher than ever the case is undeniable.
The problem is operational and competitive. The west coast main line franchise is the only operator capable of operating this service through Birmingham which is vital because Birmingham is the busiest destination. The franchise is based on electrified services and there is no electrification between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. This incurs delays for locomotive changes and the extra half hour for this makes the service slow and costly for the operator. May be Chilton could do something with a diesel service but that would conflict with the franchise arrangement.
Any other route will lack the destinations required and increase the journey times as in Wrexham and Shrewsbury. For Business time is an issue and the target needs to be 2 Hours 30 mins. in London by 09:3. with returns after 17:00. Additional services are justified by arrival in Birmingham before 09:00 and departures after 17:00 because of the demand from Birmingham being constant. Shopping and leisure provide additional demands off peak.
Of course all these services exist if your happy with train changes, second class only and the cattle trucks used on the current services with delays for numerous stops on route.
Therefore, for me, there is no case for a direct service unless Electrification precedes it. That is justified if we can provide a solution the Oakengates Tunnel. I understand that proposals else where can tolerate allowing the trains to coast through tunnels covering the gaps in electrification and this requires serious consideration in this case. There are dual fuel power cars which could provide a solution without electrification but that must have been previously considered and rejected for some reason but should be reconsidered.
Of course the Shrewsbury Parkway station would be a boost in demand for all because of the ease of access for commuters increasing the viability of railway commuting and the savings of time in the home to station leg. This should be a high priority regardless of electrification or direct services because it is an immediate benefit that could provide the additional journeys which would make the case for electrification and direct services.
BJZ
... and breathe
Roger
I can read, write and breathe all at the same time. And make what I hope is a relevant contribution to the debate. It is a complex issue.
Bill
ROGER,
Oakengates Tunnel isn't the problem, it's got plenty of clearance as it has an elliptical cross-section. Many of the tunnels on the inner London electrified routes (e.g Kentish Town to Farringdon) have much smaller sections.
The key infrastructure issues are:
(a) the thirty or so Victorian minimal clearance road & farm access overbridges, all of which will have to be rebuilt, including one right in the centre of Wellington,
(b) the attachment of masts on the Shifnal viaduct,
(c) the listed bulding challenges at Shrewsbury as the canopies will probably have to be altered,
(d) if the local services go electric as well, constructing a depot either at Shrewsbury or, quite possibly, Donnington
zztopfan
We need the Wellington to Stafford line back.
H. St. John Peasbody
That old chestnut. Why do we need it?
Considerable parts of the line east of the rail freight terminal at Trench have been built on - roads, houses, gardens & industrial units are now on the land where the line used to run. It is a complete non-starter.
doubter
Because the few demand it.
Bill
HSJP - the point about Wellington-Stafford is that although there are a couple of relatively minor routing challenges (e.g by the Clock Tower roundabout at Donnington which might need a bridge) reconstructing this route can be done without disrupting existing services whereas electrifying Oxley - Shrewsbury would be two years of delays and cancellations all along the route instead of just between Wellington & Shrewsbury
H. St. John Peasbody
It's a bit more than a mnor routing challenge at the Clock Tower!
Bigcat 178
The simple fact is if Wrexham and Shropshire who were backed by the mighty German state railway company DB who also have Chiltern Railways, they could not make it pay. After just 2 years and a loss of 2.5 million they pulled the plug Virgin took a look and said NO not enough capacity. Its a non starter before it even turns a wheel. Unless the government comes up with a subsidy which in this day and age is highly unlikly. It would be a very brave company who could stand a 2.5 million loss. It a dead duck! Enough said.
Drone
Your crystal ball appears to be faulty.
dr beeching
i suspect a direct route from shrewsbury to london has become more of a pipe dream now that first group has won the contract to run the west coast mainline. to make a profit first will have to slash services and staff.
with the threat of sprinter trains west of exeter, i fear shrewsbury has a snowballs chance in hell of a direct service to london.
more chance of the cambrian railways reopening their line from welshpool to oswestry and whitchurch. now that would make sense!
Devilschair
I don't trust any of them - they don't have the customer as the prime motive for being in this business. They only care about keeping their shareholders happy.
If you want a job done properly - we'll do it.. the British people - let private companies do the fluffy, non-critical bits - services the trains, make the food, clean the stations - but public ownership for public good should be the way to run the trains - make the rail network and run the stations. All done to service level agreements and publics own investment.
A cohesive transport system linked up (lets have a public commission to put forward a long-term plan with all sides involved)
- a back-bone on rails and local road systems for short-haul. Open up small lines again and breathe life into communities - wake up the tourist potential of North Devon 9for example) without turning them into poisonous roadways destroying that which they are built to bring people too.
Give us back our subsidies to give to people who care about good services not cherry-picking foreign companies. This government are acting like (probably mythical) thankful natives of olde fooled by shiny-beads from big companies - this will end in tears.
Buskerman
I read lots about the criticality of such a link service from / too Shropshire but read little as to why Shropshire needs one other than because currently we haven't got one.
I read few if any facts that make me nod in agreement that indeed such a link would bring a displayable return into Shropshire. If I'm honest, most of the shouts as to why Shropshire needs / deserves this link to me display not a lot more than 'little-man' syndrome.
What revenue would it bring to Shropshire allowing those pro the link to slap backs in justification of their efforts to secure one? & that is a genuine question where I am happy to learn from those better-informed.