MPs and regional leaders have gathered in Westminster today at 11am to call for improvements to the road and rail links in Shropshire and neighbouring areas.
The event, which will be chaired by Helen Morgan MP, will bring together local MPs like Lucy Allan and Simon Baynes as well as local businesses and councils with the Welsh Government, Network Rail and Midlands Connect.
In February Midlands Connect released a report proposing a series of upgrades to the road and rail links in Shropshire and Herefordshire into Wales looking at increasing the speed and frequency on rail lines and upgrading the A5, A49 and delivering the Pant – Llanymynech bypass.
We also proposed the Government support upgrades on the Birmingham – Black Country – Shrewsbury rail line as the ‘gateway’ to the Marches and Mid and West Wales. Following the Union Connectivity Review in August 2022, Midlands Connect submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) to improve journey times on the corridor by speeding up the line to 90 mph from Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton.
Helen Morgan MP has also personally invited residents and campaigners looking to reconnect Oswestry and Baschurch to the rail line to join the discussion make the case in Westminster. This will feed the potential upgrades into the broader proposals for transport upgrades in the Marches.
Helen Morgan MP said: “Residents are really crying out for upgrades to rail and road links, from the Llanymynech bypass to bus services and getting trains back in Oswestry and Baschurch.
“I’m delighted to support local campaigners as they make the case for improvements directly in Westminster.
“It is rural areas like North Shropshire that are hit hardest by the lack of decent transport links.
“If we want to improve access to healthcare and jobs, and combat rural isolation, the government must join with campaigners and act on this.”
Maria Machancoses, CEO for Midlands Connect added: “The meeting today is to get everyone ‘all aboard’ on the plans for rail and road upgrades in the Marches. We are bringing together politicians and the Welsh government to discuss and debate the proposals and try and find a way forward.
“Bringing the plans to Westminster should, I hope, put us on the right track for the next stage of work.”
The proposals being discussed are as follows:
For the Chester to Shrewsbury rail Line (which stops at Wrexham, Ruabon, Chirk & Gobowen) Midlands Connect is proposing:
Secure faster and a higher frequency of trains, with greater direct connectivity between Telford and Chester
Reviews of accessibility to train stations, identifying any barriers people may have in using them for the “first and last mile” of their journey.
For the Welsh Marches rail line (stopping at Yorton, Wem, Prees, Whitchurch, Wrenbury, Yorton, Wem, Prees, Whitchurch, Wrenbury) Midlands Connect is proposing:
Cut journey times from Hereford to Cardiff to under 60 minutes, encouraging people onto the train and away from their vehicles
Cross-border integration of the bus network – to enable residents in Herefordshire to access rail at Abergavenny, which is closer than Hereford
Additional stations between Hereford and Abergavenny to give direct rail access to those living in rural communities along the Herefordshire/Monmouthshire border.
On the Heart of Wales Line (which stops at Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, Craven Arms, Broome, Hopton Heath, Bucknell & Knighton) Midlands Connect is proposing:
Secure faster and a higher frequency of trains, also enhancing the effectiveness and comfort of the interchange at Shrewsbury
Integrating bus and rail for rural communities along the line.
On the Cambrian line (From Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Caersws and on the West Wales ending at Aberystwyth or Pwllheli) Midlands Connect is proposing:
Cut journey times and maintain direct services to Birmingham, optimising connections at Shrewsbury.
Midlands Connect also recommend road upgrades for the A5 not just to improve local safety, but to enhance the longer distance role played by the A5 in connecting England to Holyhead and beyond. We also suggest delivery of the Pant – Llanymynech bypass as soon as possible as well as the A49 corridor given its role in moving people and freight in and out of Wales.
