English-Welsh Borders Forum at Shrewsbury – Getting
off to a good start! ~ By Simon
Barber: T: 0208 940 4399
On
Saturday 8th June I attended the ERTA Shrewsbury Forum which was
held at the Montgomery Tower which is a Wetherspoons pub and there were people
there - our members David Ferguson and Daniel Newton, plus 2 Shropshire Borough
Councillors, three members of the Shrewsbury-Chester Rail Users Association and
an ASLEF member. The following items were discussed:Wolverhampton- Telford-Shrewsbury - Electrification should be top priority since we are in a climate crisis, together with twin-track railway and re-signalling.
Baschurch Station (Shrewsbury-Chester): In 2023 the local MP, Helen Morgan told parliament there was still support locally for reopening and urged Minister of State for Transport, Huw Merriman, to take this up. In December 2023 Baschurch Parish Council commissioned a preliminary study of the feasibility and business case for re-opening by a professional consultancy; this will form the basis for formal application to Shropshire (Unitary) Council and the Department for Transport for funding to proceed to detailed re-opening plans since there are housing developments in that area.
Ruabon-Llangollen: This should be a separate campaign to re-open that line which should not go on to Corwen. Two bridges need to be rebuilt, but there could be a deviation to that old route since some houses have been built east of Llangollen on the relevant track-bed.
Oswestry-Gobowen: The Department for Transport had approved this subject to ‘caveats’. We should pursue a Light Rail scheme for that option, since Oswestry is also the site of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital which is very important and is a social benefit for both Shrewsbury and the whole of Shropshire, and the first UK’s outpatient centre for the Armed Forces veterans. The proposal for the line to extend to Welshpool is feasible, but expensive.
Cambrian Links (Shrewsbury – Aberystwyth/Pwllheli). In 2015, the Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth Rail Passenger Association released an aims document that mentions the possibility of reopening Hanwood station (4 miles south-west of Shrewsbury).
Wrexham-London prospects. This is an Open Access scheme and the Department for Transport has applied paths. The original scheme which ran from 2008—2011 had been focused on Business Travel. Meanwhile several members of Chiltern Railways are reviving the scheme, and Alstom are backing new trains.
Freight by Rail. Shrewsbury-Cardiff and Shrewsbury-Chester/Crewe needs to be electrified with the help from the Welsh Government since many of the freight flows will cross into Wales e.g Cardiff-Crewe.
Bridgnorth-Shrewsbury Corridor: That part of the route (which closed in about 1963) has been subject to landslips and that a tunnel had collapsed.
However, the Ironbridge branch (which originated at Madeley Junction) must reverse at Shifnal Junction due to housing developments at Madeley, and that could be a possibility by using a Light Rail.
West Wales North-South Proposals: We reckon that Builth Wells (on Heart of Wales Line)-Moat Lane Junction (on Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth Line) could be more feasible than Carmarthen-Aberystwyth. However, Caernarfon-Bangor is relatively unobstructed.
Ed. Laudable and thank you Simon for convening the meeting and I do hope it snowballs with new members and ultimately a new Area Rep for BRTA in that part of the world. However, this default obsession with Light Rail being the answer always, needs compare and in contrast with feasibility and compulsory purchase. 1. Is Light Rail always cheaper than conventional rail? 2. Heavy rail can handle passenger and freight, Light Rail remains to be seen, how much freight uses existing light rail construes? We are not talking container railways, but pallets, parcels and post for example could if allowed.
Pictures below taken by Simon Barber
– one of our long serving members and Executive Committee Officer.
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