Rail chiefs to meet Shropshire MPs over direct train service to London

The county's MPs are due to meet top officials from the ORR on September 2.

They will present the organisation with copies of the Shropshire Star's online petition backing the service, which has been signed by more than 2,000 people.

• To sign the petition, click here

The ORR has backed Network Rail's decision to veto Virgin Trains' bid to start the service this December amid concerns it would put too much strain on a West Coast Main Line route already suffering punctuality problems.

When the decision was announced in June, Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski wrote to Richard Price, chief executive of the ORR, asking for a breakdown of the passenger numbers the organisation felt may be affected by permitting the additional services.

Mr Price has now replied and said he welcomed the chance to meet Mr Kawczynski and his parliamentary colleagues to discuss the decision and explain the reasoning underpinning it.

In his letter, Mr Price said: "I note that you express an interest to see a breakdown of the number of passengers who would be adversely affected by allowing these additional services, which we will be happy to discuss."

It comes as Virgin Trains pledged to hold Network Rail and the ORR "to account" over planned improvements to the West Coast Main Line which the train operator believes should allow it to introduce the Shrewsbury service from May next year. Network Rail has indicated that it may not be in a position to approve the service until autumn 2014 "at the earliest".

Damien Henderson, a spokesman for Virgin Trains, said: "Network Rail has undertaken to improve performance by the end of the financial year in March 2014, which would remove the obstacles they perceive as being in place of these services being introduced two months later. We therefore struggle to see what objection would remain if these promised improvements are delivered.The Office of Rail Regulation has been abundantly clear that Network Rail must improve its performance or face a fine of £72 million by March 2014 for missing targets. "

• See www.shropshirestar.com/rail

• To sign the petition, click here