Shrewsbury Railway Station must become more than 'a museum piece', Government told
Shrewsbury Railway Station has been "on the edge of people's maps" for too long and must become more than "a museum piece", an MP has warned.
Julia Buckley, MP for Shrewsbury, described the new Railways Bill, which would establish Great British Railways, as a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity to boost economic growth in the county town.
Speaking during a House of Commons debate, Mrs Buckley said Shrewsbury serves as the "gateway" to Wales and has become a "major transit point" for Welsh rail services operated by Transport for Wales (TfW).
Despite Shrewsbury Railway Station serving 2.2 million passengers, she told Parliament there is a "latent demand" for more services.
The Labour MP highlighted that when TfW upgraded its Birmingham service from two to four carriages, ticket sales rose by 18 per cent overnight.
Mrs Buckley questioned how many more tickets could be sold if a nationalised service offered earlier, later, and more frequent trains to support "wannabe passengers."
She said: "Under privatisation, we have been on the edge of other people’s maps for too long. We are the last stop on the west midlands line, and the last major station from Wales. It has held back our investment and limited our inter-city services, such as the much missed direct train to London.
"While our railway station is a beautiful grade II listed building...we need our station to be more than a museum piece. In order to increase services, we must first have our master plan for bringing together infrastructure upgrades.
"The Railways Bill provides a once in a generation opportunity for Shrewsbury station to fulfil its true potential under Great British Railways.
"In Shropshire, we still dream of that direct train to London, which would reconnect us to the capital. Research shows that it would add £9 million a year to our local economy."
The establishment of Great British Railways would see the majority of passenger services under public ownership and control.
Mrs Buckley said she was "delighted" to see Midlands Connect and the Department for Transport recognise the Wolverhampton-to-Shrewsbury route as a "corridor for growth."
She added that the corridor supports major employers, including the i54 Enterprise Zone, Battlefield Enterprise Park, and Shrewsbury Business Park, as well as future developments in Shifnal and Telford.
She said these sites alone provide more than 4,000 jobs and require improved access to rail, bus, and active travel infrastructure.
"Enhancing that transport corridor will also deliver benefits for Wales because of the cross-border gateway and the freight connections between our two nations, and growth in this area aligns with priorities over the border," Mrs Buckley added.
"As the major border rail hub between an already nationalised Transport for Wales and a soon to be nationalised West Midlands Railway, Shrewsbury offers to be the strategic link that ensures the success of GBR.
"The Great British Railways Bill was written to improve services in places like Shrewsbury, and Shrewsbury has been waiting for Great British Railways - not least my wannabe passengers, who are still hoping that it will unlock employment and economic opportunity for them. Shrewsbury will become the beating heart of our reinvigorated railway."
