New council hopes Wrexham to London rail service will help tackle issues with aging population

The newly formed open-access rail operator, the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR), is aiming to offer Salopians a new direct link with the capital.

A formal application to open the service was submitted to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) last week, and if it is successful, it could see five trains per day running in each direction from Monday to Saturday, and four on a Sunday.

Trains would stop at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Darlaston, Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes on the route between Wrexham General and London Euston.

Having already gained the support of 21 local MPs, Shropshire Council's new administration has written to the ORR's chief executive, to show the council’s support for the new service.

In their letter to John Larkinson, Councillors Heather Kidd and Rob Wilson pledge the council’s support for the open access operator application submitted by the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway – and ask that the ORR also supports the application.

The letter states the new service "would be a step-change for Shrewsbury and Gobowen, not to mention all of the wider communities that these stations serve." 

"It would unleash untapped growth potential in our wonderful county, supporting the Government’s Plan for Growth," the letter continues.

"Shropshire has been without a direct train to London since it was withdrawn by Avanti West Coast nearly 12 months ago. 

"Prior to this Shrewsbury has been served on an intermittent basis by Virgin Trains, and a short-lived service run by the Wrexham Shropshire Railway Company to Marylebone. 

"Business thrives on certainty, and they need transport connections which they can rely on. The stop-start nature of our link to the capital over the past decade is a limited factor to growth. Shrewsbury is once again one of the only county towns in England which is not served by a direct train to London.

"Shropshire deserves to have the opportunity provided to almost every other local authority area in the country.

"With increased home and hybrid working, Shropshire is an ideal place for young people to live and raise a family, so long as they are able to commute when necessary. 

"The new administration at Shropshire Council is ambitious for our county and sees growing our business sector and working age population as a key policy to help address the issues associated with having an aging population. 

"At present 80 per cent of Shropshire Council’s revenue budget it spent on social care, leaving relatively little to fund other statutory and non-statutory services which our businesses and residents rely on. 

"A direct train to London would be a key component in helping us to achieve this aim."