Open access operator's frustration as year-long wait for decision continues

The possibility of open access operator Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) being able to start running trains this year hangs in the balance, as the decision over its application drags on.

The Alstom/SLC Rail-run operator submitted its application to the Office of Rail and Road in March 2024, with a proposed start date of May 2025.

A senior source at WSMR told RAIL about the company’s growing frustration at the year-long wait: “The whole process has been upended by the call for applications that Network Rail persuaded the ORR to do in April last year, despite our application being in before that.

“The only applications that affect us really are on West Coast South [Virgin and FirstGroup (Lumo)], and our application pre-dates both, so I would hope we would get
some kind of priority in terms of assessment and first chance at the available paths.

“NR has admitted there are nine paths available [principally in the hours that the Stirling services don’t run], but it is objecting to their use based on them being a firebreak to mitigate the current poor performance on the West Coast.”

The source said services could run this autumn, but that WSMR would “need a decision soon”.

ORR told RAIL: “Network Rail has not currently provided the necessary information for our assessment of the application.

Once we review that information and apply it to the criteria and legal framework, we will make a decision.”

In response Network Rail said: “Its [WSMR’s] proposed route involves running on the West Coast Main Line from Nuneaton to Euston, which is already a busy section of the railway.

“We have assessed this submission, along with others on this stretch of line, and have made initial comments to ORR for review.”