Packed charter train trip 'shows potential' of new direct service linking Shropshire to London
A special charter train journey today shows the potential of a new direct service linking Shropshire to London, supporters say.
Wrexham Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) chartered a special train this morning (March 2) to demonstrate the possible impact of its plans for a much-demanded new service.
The group had seen its proposal for the new service between Wrexham and London Euston turned down last year but resubmitted a revised effort in December.
The new application proposes four trains per day in each direction, stopping at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central and Wellington.
As part of its campaign to win support for the service, this morning WSMR ran a packed special charter train along the route, taking a host of local supporters including MPs, business leaders, and stakeholders to the capital.
It went from Wrexham via Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton, and London Euston.
Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley joined the train at Shrewsbury, and said she was delighted to throw her support behind the initiative.
Shropshire's MPs have been fulsome in their backing for the plan, with a host of members for constituencies along the route signing a letter in support of the service.
The letter was presented to 10 Downing Street after the service arrived in London, with Mrs Buckley, Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard, and North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan all supporting the message.
South Shropshire MP Stuart Anderson and Telford MP Shaun Davies have sent their own individual letters supporting the plan.
Mrs Buckley said: "Today was a fantastic demonstration of the art of the possible. We saw a direct train service leave Wrexham, call at Shrewsbury and deliver us directly to Euston, on time and full of passengers from our key stakeholders across the route of the line, as well as MPs from every political party.
"The open access bid wants to re-connect six towns back to the capital and to each other with inter-regional links.
"It will create 50 jobs and add £9 million GVA [gross value added] to our local economy, at no cost to the tax payer.
"Through this project we have been able to leverage in additional investment into Shrewsbury railway station from Transport for Wales and Network Rail to increase our infrastructure and support extra services for our residents."
Speaking as the letter was presented to Downing Street Mr Pritchard said: "I hope the Prime Minister will listen to our bid and will support the application to bring at least an extra £3m worth of investment into Shropshire and more importantly into Wellington, so I am absolutely delighted today, this is a very long process, to go to the Prime Minister and say support the bid for Shropshire."
Representatives from some of the region's biggest organisations and businesses joined the train to support the message.
They included Salop Leisure, Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury College, CROUD Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury Town Council, Morris Leisure, Harper Adams University and more.
Others joining were the Welsh Transport Minister Ken Skates, and representatives from Wrexham Football Club, Wrexham University, Wrexham Council, Derwent College and Severn Dee Travel.
People can sign a petition in support of the service online.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.