The Petition of residents of Shrewsbury and Shropshire,
Declares that the Petitioners are without a direct rail service to London from anywhere in the county, with Shrewsbury being the only mainland county town in England without such a service which is of real detriment to businesses and individuals travelling to the capital.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Department of Transport and Office for Rail regulation to work with Network Rail and the train operators to improve services on the west coast mainline and subsequently ensure a regular and direct service from Shrewsbury to London to be established as soon as possible.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Daniel Kawczynski, Official Report, 5 September 2013; Vol. 567, c. 579 .]
[P001218]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport:
The Department continues to strongly support the introduction of the new direct service from London Euston to Shrewsbury. The Department recognises the very strong local support for the introduction of this new service. The pressure remains on Network Rail to improve performance and also to work closely with Virgin Trains and the Office of Rail Regulation on this important matter.
I continue to take a very close interest in this matter and I have encouraged the rail industry to work together to secure the introduction of this new and important service to Shrewsbury. I understand that Virgin Trains are making an application for the access rights to operate this service from May 2014.
The Petitioners may also wish to share their views with Network Rail, the Office of Rail Regulation and Virgin Trains.