Wales Rails Vision - join and volunteer to take it forward!

Update 29-06-25:

re: https://nation.cymru/feature/wales-railways-caught-in-the-business-case-trap/

If you have any reasoned answers to this article you feel BRTA and others can use to counter it, please email ceo@brtarai.com 

Minutes of our BRTA Wrexham Forum which was held last Saturday at The Elihu Yale, 44-46 Regent Street, Wrexham LL11 1RR. As you know, only one other person came which was our member Daniel Newton(from Wrexham).

• Apologies: David Start and David Ferguson (BRTA); Russell George/Peredur Owen Griffiths/Jane Dodds MS; Stuart Anderson/Julia Buckley MP; Cllrs. Alan Mosley/Bernie Bentinck/Carloyn Healy/Ben Jephcott.
• London-Wrexham: The Office of Rail and Road are currently carrying out our review of this application. Among other considerations, this includes assessing: based on the advice provided by Network Rail and applicants, if there is sufficient capacity for the proposed services and whether the services would unduly affect train performance; and, where relevant for open access proposals, what the financial impact on existing public sector operators would be. As part of our assessment of this application we will take account of the representations of all interested parties. We have forwarded the email which I had written to the ORR and their team will be assessing this application.
• Shrewsbury-Chester: The local Parish Council (Baschurch) commissioned a preliminary study of the feasibility and business case for the re-opening of Baschurch Station. I had tried to contact that Parish Council but they had never replied.
• Ruabon-Llangollen: There must be a separate campaign which should be in the name of the BRTA, and we should not contact the Llangollen Railway.
• Freight by Rail: The routes from Cardiff to Shrewsbury and then to both Chester and Crewe must be electrified since there are many freight flows along these routes.
• Bridgnorth-Shrewsbury Corridor: That part of the route (which closed in about 1963) has been subject to landslips and that a tunnel had collapsed. There are discussions and proposals to reopen parts of it although there could be several gradients.
• West Wales North-South Proposals: The Welsh Government is still debating on this matter, which includes both Bangor-Pwllheli and Aberystwyth-Carmarthen.
• Oswestry-Gobowen and links with Welshpool direct: First, the section between Gobowen (on Shrewsbury-Chester line) and Oswestry to reconnect a town to the railway network have now been thrown into doubt after the funding programme behind the scheme was scrapped since the restoration of the rail link between Oswestry and Gobowen - however the level crossing under the A5 on that line needs to be replaced with a tunnel. Meanwhile the section between Oswestry and Weston Wharf is already a heritage line and there is a level crossing on that heritage line and it must be replaced by an overbridge. The southern end between Llynclis South and Welshpool is disused.
• Barmouth-Dolgellau: We must look into this project, which could go on to Bala Junction, Bala Town itself and ultimately Corwen. The section between Corwen and Cynwyd is formerly a railway line but is being converted into a greenway by Denbighshire Country Council.Both of us had discussed greenways whilst there is a railway one side and pedestrian/cycling corridor on the other with a fence separating the railway from the pedestrian/cycling corridor.
• Email ceo@brtarail.com about anything.
• See also: https://brtarail.com/our-campaigns/

Call to action stations! Join us as a member and volunteer:

Please make it all a 'work in progress' by which I suggest:

1. build links and loop me in on replies

2. Make the case - population, road stats and costs, potential users - daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal for example

3. email key outlets which may be affected

4. Always look for recruiting new members, growing a team locally who are willing to reliably serve as volunteers and meet/convene where and as and when you get a bite in addition to 2026 Aberystwyth meeting.

5. find a marketing officer and get more turn out by means and ways of lawful persuasion. Did you invite Wrexham Town Council?