Train firm confirms decision on Shrewsbury to Wellington shuttle service - and reasoning

Services linking Shropshire and Black Country were stopped in their tracks on 10 days ago after an estimated 5,000 tonnes of material slipped beneath a 50-metre section of the railway at Oakengates.

While repairs continue as planned, rail replacement bus services have been running between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, stopping at stations in between.

Whilst West Midlands Railway has started a shuttle service from Shifnal to Wolverhampton and Birmingham, there has been no similar service between Shrewsbury and Wellington.

Network Rail and Transport for Wales (TfW) have been looking at whether a shuttle could run, with infrastructure in place, but it's been decided that any such train could disrupt other TfW services.

A spokesperson for the train operator said: “We understand the ongoing impact the landslip has had for customers travelling between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

“While some sections of the line have been cleared, there would still be the risk of further disruption to rail services and train crew schedules in running a limited services as far as Wellington. As such we will be continuing with the existing rail replacement operation from Shrewsbury which can be managed far more comprehensively.”

A crossover is in place at Wellington for trains to switch from one track to another and make a round trip, but TfW drivers are not allowed to take their trains over it as they've not been officially signed off.

Network Rail has said it is "open to discussions" for drivers to be trained on the crossover as a contingency option for future disruption, while a TfW spokesperson added: “The operational management of incidents such as this are regularly reviewed by ourselves and our partners in Network Rail to consider any changes we could make to improve customer experience.”

Network Rail still aims to have the full line open by the Easter weekend.