Wrexham & Shropshire Trains in shock closure
Wrexham & Shropshire Trains, the county's sole direct link to London, will cease business on Friday, it was announced today. Wrexham & Shropshire Trains, the county's sole direct link to London, will cease business on Friday, it was announced today. A statement on the company's website said the decision had been taken after "an investigation into all possible alternatives". The company blamed the current "unprecedented economic environment" and said although it had tried to increase passenger numbers "it has been determined that the business has no prospect of reaching profitability". "Wrexham & Shropshire is not insolvent nor is it being placed in administration and all outstanding financial commitments will be met. "Alternative employment opportunities within the railway industry are being sought for the 55 employees, and all staff wages and full redundancy entitlements will be paid." Below: Footage of a Wrexham & Shropshire Trains service as it travelled from Shrewsbury to London Marlyebone in 2010. brightcove.createExperiences();
SHROPSHIRE'S ONLY direct rail link to London will close this week with the loss of 55 jobs, it was announced today.
The Shrewsbury-based Wrexham & Shropshire service will cease operations on Friday, less than three years after it launched in the county.
The news came as the service today received the highest ratings in the UK for passenger satisfaction in a study by Passenger Focus, which found 96 per cent of users were satisfied with their journey.
Bosses today blamed falling passenger numbers for the decision and said last year alone the service made a loss of £2.8 million. They said despite an investigation into "all possible alternatives" there was "no prospect" of the company being profitable and making a return for investors.
German
The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway (WSMR), now run by Chiltern, an offshoot of DB, the German state railway, said it was not insolvent nor is it being placed in administration and added all outstanding financial commitments will be met.
Other rail jobs are being sought for the 55 employees and all staff wages and full redundancy entitlements will be paid, the firm said.
The service launched in Shropshire in April 2008 with five return services a day. It dropped to four and then to three last December.
Chairman Adrian Shooter, CBE, said: "Regrettably, we have concluded that the potential for further changes to the company's operations, including any synergy with Arriva Trains Wales, will not improve the financial position sufficiently."
Monty Python star and former Shrewsbury School pupil Michael Palin, who unveiled the firm's new fleet last January, expressed sadness at the news.
He said: "It was a wonderful railway and the passengers came first on it. I'm very sad indeed to think that it hasn't worked out."
Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, today said: "This shows conclusively that performance counts for nothing on our railways."
Virgin Trains today confirmed that it will carry passengers who will be left stranded by the cancellation of all services of the WSMR.
By Russell Roberts
Below: Footage of a Wrexham & Shropshire Trains service as it travelled from Shrewsbury to London Marlyebone in 2010.
