Shropshire Council is encouraging the county’s residents and businesses to sign a petition calling for the approval of plans for a direct rail service between Wrexham, Shrewsbury, the Midlands and London.
Led by Julia Buckley, MP for Shrewsbury and supported by Shropshire Council and many local businesses and organisations, the petition calls on the Government, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to work constructively with Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) to enable direct trains to London to run. It says that the service would reconnect communities, improve transport links, and strengthen regional economies across North Wales, Shropshire and the Midlands.
The petition can be seen here – https://www.change.org/p/restore-direct-trains-to-london-from-wrexham-shropshire-and-the-midlands
A request for a direct service to London was turned down last year due to capacity constraints on the West Coast Mainline. WSMR has now submitted a revised proposal, shaped by extensive feedback from MPs, regional partners, and local stakeholders.
Rob Wilson, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for transport and economic growth, said:
“I encourage everyone to sign the petition and help make this new service a reality. As the petition says, for too many years, North Wales and Shropshire have been disconnected from London. This is bad for business, bad for communities and bad for economic growth.”
“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.
“The new, improved, bid would support economic growth and increase access to jobs, education, health facilities and leisure opportunities in the county.”
