The open-access operator would be run by Alstom, with SLC Rail as consultants. It will be Alstom's first rail service operation in the United Kingdom if approved.
History and description
The proposed service was officially announced on 14 March 2024,[1] following the operator submitting its formal application to operate, to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).[2] If approved, it hopes to operate services from May 2025 and creating a possible 50 new jobs, mainly in North Wales and the English Midlands.[3][4][5] WSMR estimates its proposed service would have 1.5 million people in their catchment area outside London.[3][4] The plans received support from Huw Merriman, Minister of State for Transport.[6]
If approved, it would reinstate a Shropshire–London direct service, following Avanti West Coast's Shrewsbury–London Euston service being terminated on 2 June 2024.[7][8]
The open-access operator would be operated by Alstom, and it would be its first passenger rail operating service in the United Kingdom if approved.[3][9][10] The Birmingham-based[11] consultancy firm SLC Rail would advise Alstom in the development of the project.[7][5]
The proposed operator was compared to a previous train operating company, Wrexham & Shropshire, which also operated Wrexham to London services via Shropshire between 2008 and 2011.[5][9] Although Wrexham & Shropshire operated along the Chiltern Main Line to London Marylebone.[11] while WSMR proposes to use the West Coast Main Line to Euston.[12] WSMR has no links to Wrexham & Shropshire.[11]
The plan is for a daily, Monday to Saturday service between Wrexham General and London Euston of five trains in each direction, reduced to four on Sundays. Trains would call at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Darlaston James Bridge (when re-opened), Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes. It would use the current freight-only (since 1965) Sutton Park line to bypass Birmingham, particularly the Wolverhampton–Birmingham New Street–Rugby corridor. The service would allow direct trains between Wolverhampton and Walsall to Nuneaton for the first time.[3][4][11][13]
The estimated travel time between Wrexham and London is three hours, while between Shrewsbury and London is two hours.[13]
In March 2024, Alstom stated that details on the operator's fleet, branding and service timetable would be announced at a later date.[7] Although it was later reported that the operator's train fleet would have "infrastructure monitoring equipment", and are planned to have first and standard class seating. The company's mobilisation director, Darren Horley, stated WSMR is planning to have features such as "instant delay repay" if any of their trains are delayed, a "seat selection facility", and possibly an "advance ordering" system for food and drinks before passengers travel on their trains. The company also stated they aspired to invest in infrastructure, such as funding enhancements at stations, and possibly a new parkway station near Shrewsbury to ease congestion.[13]
