REOPENING the Oswestry to Gobowen line with money marked for the now-cancelled HS2 line has been announced as a priority for the government.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed on Wednesday during his speech at the Conservative Party conference that HS2 will stop at Birmingham and not continue north to Manchester.

However, his government has now identified projects that will receive money intended for the HS2 project, which will come as a relief to supporters of the restoration project.

READ MORE: Prime Minister pledges to upgrade A5 using money from scrapped HS2 northern leg

A statement said: “(We’re) reopening closed Beeching lines including the Stoke to Leek line and the Oswestry to Gobowen line, with a new stop at Park Hall.”

A government spokesman said the new work, called Network North, will help reconnect areas around the North West, Midlands and North East that have been let down over public services.

They added: “Today we have announced the launch of Network North, a new approach to transport in this country. 

As a result of the decision to scrap the extension of HS2, every region will now receive investment in the modes of transport that matter to you most.”

There will also be work carried out on transport in Wales, costing around £1 billion which will impact on the Gobowen to Oswestry line as it carries Transport for Wales trains.

The move has been welcomed by North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan, who published a video to Twitter.

In it, she said: "It's fantastic for everybody in Oswestry who wants to access the mainline.

"It's also going to have a stop in Park Hall so we will get everybody there connected to the route as well.

"That's amazing news, congratulations to the team who pulled that bid together and worked so hard to bring it to fruition, and I am really proud to have supported them and helped them lobby to bring this great new train line to Oswestry and Gobowen."

Network North will also add a £2.2 billion fund to transform local transport in rural counties such as Shropshire, smaller cities like Leicester and towns such as Evesham.

There will be around £250 million for smaller road schemes: Including the Shrewsbury North Western Relief Road and the A4123 Birchley Island, near Oldbury. A Midlands Road Fund worth nearly £650 million will be launched for new roads. 

There will be new bus stops around Telford and park and ride upgrades elsewhere in Shropshire and new bus lanes in Herefordshire. 

Conservative candidate for North Shropshire and current Clwyd Sotuh MP Simon Baynes also welcomed the news.

He said: "I am delighted that the government will reopen the Oswestry-Gobowen line in north Shropshire as part of the new Network North.

"The funds will come from the £36bn of savings due to the cancellation of the extension of HS2 beyond Birmingham.

"I am also pleased at the further confirmation that there will be a new Park Hall stop and a rail link to the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen."