A local MP has put his support behind the proposals to create a direct rail link between Gobowen and London

Clwyd South MP and Conservative candidate for North Shropshire at the next election Simon Baynes said the plans for a Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) would “bring new, faster and more direct train journey opportunities".

Mr Baynes signed a letter written by Sarah Atherton, MP for Wrexham, to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper, alongside nine other MPs calling on the Secretary of State to work with the relevant departments to ensure that the plans for the new service are “processed as quickly as possible”.

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“I warmly welcome these proposals, which have now been submitted to the ORR, as they will bring new, faster and more direct train journey opportunities for North Shropshire and the Welsh borders,” said Mr Baynes.

“From a wider perspective, the proposals will support the rail industry’s ongoing recovery and future growth potential while reducing the transport sector’s carbon emissions.”

The plans will see French railway giant Alstom operating a new passenger rail service across England and Wales.

WSMR will run direct trains from Wrexham, Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Walsall and Coleshill to the capital. Services are expected to begin in 2025 and create about 50 jobs.

Five trains are expected to run in each direction Monday to Saturday, with four travelling both ways on Sundays.

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