A delegation of MPs from Shropshire and Mid Wales will hold crunch talks with rail giant Virgin tomorrow in a bid to secure a new direct rail link to London, it was revealed today.

Shropshire and Mid Wales MPs were in talks today with Transport Minister Theresa Villiers to try to secure a direct rail link between the area and London.

More than 7,000 people have signed a petition in a bid to save Shropshire’s direct rail link to London, campaigners revealed today.

Letter: The latest farce in the story of public finance of privatisation is the decision to increase rail fares in order to deter the public from catching a train. The rise is not so much to increase profit but to deter usage.

Letter: As an occasional user of the now defunct Wrexham & Shropshire rail service, I entirely agree with the widely expressed sentiments about the quality of service.

Rail giant Virgin today refused to rule out restoring Shropshire’s only direct rail link to London.

A campaigner who launched a petition to save Shropshire’s direct rail-link to London today said he would ask the county’s MPs to present it in Parliament – as the number of people signing it topped 6,000.

Campaigners have hit their target of 5,000 signatures for a petition to try to save Shropshire’s direct rail-link to London.

The driver of the last ever Wrexham & Shropshire train to arrive in the county has issued a heartfelt thanks to those who welcomed the service home for the final time.

Shropshire’s direct rail link to London will end today with the last train due to travel along the route tonight – but campaigners have vowed the battle to save it will not end with the last journey and their fight will continue.

Business leaders today raised fears over the impact the loss of Shropshire’s direct rail link to London could have on the county.

A petition has been launched to try to secure the future of the Wrexham & Shropshire Railway.

Telford MP David Wright today raised the loss of Shropshire’s direct rail link to London in Parliament as county politicians united to try to save it.

Blog: The Wrexham, Shropshire, and Marylebone Railway were a hard working, committed, management team, who provided Shropshire with its only direct rail link to London.

Rail lovers have reacted with shock at the announcement that the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway is to close.

Wrexham & Shropshire Trains, the county’s sole direct link to London, will cease business on Friday, it was announced today.

Blog: News that Wrexham & Shropshire is to cease its London rail service this Friday will be greeted with sadness by anyone who has ever travelled on the line.

Shropshire rail company Wrexham & Shropshire is bucking the trend after bosses announced they would freeze some fares and limit increases on others.

Former Strictly Come Dancing champion Camilla Dallerup will be heading to Shropshire to step out with shoppers – in a special performance of a routine called the “choo choo choo”.

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.

A train company which runs services through Shropshire has recorded one of the best punctuality records across the country throughout September, new figures have revealed.

Many businesses are feeling the squeeze of the recession and the rail industry is no exception.

The operators of Shropshire’s only direct rail link to London today said they were putting up fares because of economic pressures and spiralling fuel costs.

Letter: Ref a recent article regarding the “sardine express” and the reported comment by the transport minister that to enforce a legal limit on passengers carried by trains would be difficult to enforce.

Train operators serving Shropshire and the West Midlands had more services arrive on time last month than in the same period last year, new figures released by Network Rail have shown.

The new coalition Government has announced plans to limit CCTV, so Shropshire Star writer Alex James took a trip across Shropshire to see if he could evade the prying eyes of our Big Brother state. His findings make for startling reading.

The A5 Chirk bypass reopened today three days after two people were killed in a horrific crash.

Letter: Re a quote from our MP on April 10, 2009 in response to a Virgin Trains proposal for routes to London from Shrewsbury, being shelved. Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury, said it was “very important” WSMR was supported, but he believed in “open competition”.

LETTER: Yes, the overcrowding on these trains is unacceptable, but before castigating solely Arriva, here are a few facts. local politicians and MPs should be aware of.

A train company which put in a bid to run a direct service from Shropshire to London has had its application turned down by rail regulators.