Virgin in new bid for Shropshire to London direct rail link
Virgin Trains has submitted its new bid to run direct rail services between Shropshire and London – with a decision set to be made this month.
Sir Richard Branson's company is hoping to get the long-awaited link up and running by May.
The bid has been submitted to Network Rail, which will decide whether the service can be established.
Sarah Fernandes, a spokesman for Virgin Trains, said the operator was expecting a decision in the next two to three weeks.
Virgin had originally hoped to have the service up and running by this December, but earlier this year Network Rail vetoed the move on the grounds that the West Coast Main Line is too busy and that problems on that route must be tackled before additional services can run.
Network Rail's decision was backed by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in June following an appeal by Virgin.
But in the past few months hopes have been raised the line could be up and running by May. Virgin believes £40 million improvements on the route, scheduled to be completed by March next year, will allow the objections to be dropped.
More than 3,000 people have signed a Shropshire Star petition calling for the service to be reinstated.
Earlier this month, officials from the ORR said tough new punctuality targets due to be imposed would also help bring in the service "as soon as possible".
