Shropshire Star

Shropshire Star comment: Deliver on rail service promises

All regions of Britain rely on their infrastructure. Good road and rail links keep things moving, fast internet connections help businesses switch from analogue to digital and good trading relations across borders and allow goods to flow freely.

Published

When parts of that infrastructure break down, however, the effects ripple across many sectors of our economy.

Our economy is interconnected; the web of links between different parts is broken when one aspect fails. Tourist industries, small and medium-sized businesses, large companies and private individuals; all suffer inconvenience and the county as a whole suffers reputational damage.

For some time, there has been concern about the standard of rail services operated by Arriva Trains Wales. It has attracted criticism from the public and from politicians about the quality of the service and its rolling stock.

Much of this criticism has been justified. Poor quality services have not been the fault of workers on board but failings of strategy. People have been put off using trains, from visiting Shropshire and Mid Wales, or from doing business in the county because the quality of rail links has been poor.

Things will, we are promised, change when the franchise currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales is taken over. The new owners, France’s Keolis and Spanish-owned Amey, have pledged a transformational revamp of the service. They intend to significantly improve the passenger experience for those on routes connecting Shrewsbury with Chester, Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Telford.

See also:

It is reassuring to hear the commitment from the new operators about quantum improvements to the service and we hope they deliver on their pledge.

It is imperative that the railways operators deliver high quality services. Sadly, that has not always been the case and that has had a deleterious effect on the county.

It would seem those days are soon to come to an end with a change in ownership.

New owners have raised expectation of better times. They now have to make good on their promise.