Baschurch Railway Station bid hits buffers

Multi-million pound plans to re-open a rural Shropshire railway station have hit the buffers because council chiefs say they cannot justify paying for a fresh feasibility study.

Campaigners have been calling for Baschurch Railway Station, which closed in 1960, to reopen to help meet increasing demand from commuters as the rural population grows.

Residents in and around the north Shropshire village joined forces to launch the Baschurch Station Group following a public meeting attended by more than 300 people two years ago.

But now Shropshire Council has said it cannot commit funds to the scheme.

The news has angered the campaigners who claimed the study would only have cost a few thousand pounds.

Steve Boulding, spokesman for the campaigners, said the economic, social and environmental benefits of reopening the station would far outweigh the cost of a fresh study.

Shropshire Council said it would look at the scheme afresh in 2014 when the next round of Network Rail funding is due to be considered.