MPs lobby Network Rail to support open access Wrexham-London plan

A group of MPs serving communities that stand to benefit from a proposed open access service to London have written to Network Rail asking for a “positive response” to the Office of Rail and Road’s consultation.

The cross-party letter to Chief Executive Sir Andrew Haines makes it clear that areas on the proposed Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR) route are currently underserved. They say that “latent demand is crying out for services to fulfil our true potential as economically thriving places to work, visit and live”. 

Wrexham, Shropshire and Midland Railway (WSMR) wants to run five trains per day between Wrexham and London Euston. The route would also serve Shropshire, the Black Country and north Warwickshire. But Network Rail has concerns about capacity constraints on the southern section of the West Coast Main Line.

Network Rail is preparing to say it cannot support WSMR's plans, or any other new service that wants to use the southern end of the West Coast Main Line.

MPs said they understood there is complexity in the allocation of paths into Euston with a number of open access requests. But their letter stated: “There is considerable regional and political support for this service, which was unduly cut at the end of the pandemic.”

Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley (Labour) was one of those who signed the letter. She said: “Shrewsbury wants to be reconnected to the capital. It will give such a boost to our businesses and visitors, super-charging our local economy and unlocking our young people’s potential in an area of high economic demographics but lack of strategic transport connectivity”

The MPs also note that WSMR’s application has the support of the Department for Transport and that until June last year Avanti West Coast ran trains between Shrewsbury and London.

They’re now calling on Network Rail to find the capacity for the proposed service as a matter of urgency.