Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to make an assessment of the potential impact of establishing the Oswestry-Gobowen railway line on the economy of the local area.

The previous government’s Restoring Your Railway programme funded the development of a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for the Oswestry-Gobowen rail link. Feedback on the SOBC was provided to the promoters (Cambrian Heritage Railway Ltd) during 2023.

In July 2024, the Chancellor announced that the Restoring Your Railway programme would be closed. Any further assessment of the potential impact of this proposal should now be progressed as part of Shropshire Council’s Local Transport Plan.