20/02/2011
Dear Sirs,
I am writing with regard to the closure of the Wrexham & Shropshire rail line. The line ran from Wrexham, through Shrewsbury and down to London Marylebone for three years until it was closed at the end of January.
The service provided a much needed direct link to London for Shropshire and surrounding areas and was well used and held in very high regard by those that travelled on it – achieving the highest customer satisfaction rating of any rail franchise of 99%, and as such setting the standard for all rail providers.
The refurbished rolling stock provided a very spacious, clean and comfortable environment, and the staff were always very helpful and friendly, so much so that people knew each other by first name, and on the last day’s service from Marylebone I saw passengers giving staff bottles of wine as thank you presents.
The closure of the Wrexham & Shropshire line just goes to prove how there are clearly major issues with the UK rail system. How can such a standard-setting rail line be allowed to go under? It was an “open access” route and hence received no subsidy (whilst Virgin receive £250 million per year), surely the government could have intervened and turned the line into a franchise or made it nationally owned?
It is likely too late to bring Wrexham & Shropshire back, but there is clearly strong feeling in the region that we must have a direct, affordable line to London such as the one Wrexham & Shropshire provided – it is essential for personal and business use and has a direct effect on the economy of the region.
You can see the level of support for this line in a petition I created online which now has over 7,000 signatures: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/wrexhamandshropshire
More information and views can be found on a website I have started with the aim of creating a central location for the issue: http://www.shropshirelondondirect.org/
The people of the area ask that you address this issue in Parliament, and that you ensure a direct Shropshire to London line is implemented in the next round of rail franchises.
I look forward to hearing from you on this matter.
Regards
Alex Matthews
http://www.shropshirelondondirect.org
Copies to
Rt Hon Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Transport
Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Minister for Transport
Daniel Kawczynski, MP Shrewsbury
Mr Philip Dunne, MP Ludlow
Rt Hon Owen Paterson, MP N Shropshire
Glyn Davies, MP Montgomeryshire
Mark Pritchard, MP Wrekin
Mr David Wright, MP Telford
Susan Jones , MP Clwyd South
Welsh Assembly Government
Shropshire Star
Powys County Times
Wrexham Leader
BBC Radio Shropshire
