Shropshire and Mid Wales trains bonus 'will bring opportunity'
Extra rail services between Shropshire and Mid Wales will open up educational and job opportunities for people across the region, campaigners claimed today.
Members of the Shrewsbury-Aberystwyth Rail Passengers Association (Sarpa) have welcomed the new services on the line, which will begin on May 17.
The Welsh Assembly announced the bonus services earlier this year and the group's chairman said it is the culmination of 18 years of campaigning.
Angus Eickhoff, Sarpa chairman, said: "Everybody we speak to is looking forward to having better choices for using rail brought about by the introduction of the extra trains, in particular having an arrival into Shrewsbury at 8.14am will open up educational and job opportunities for people in the upper Severn valley.
"We started campaigning for extra trains in 1997 and committee members have even been stopped in the street and congratulated by members of the public. It is a real boost for Mid Wales.
"Sarpa will not be resting on its laurels and will be monitoring the new services, in particular the number of carriages provided on certain services. Sarpa is encouraging Mid Wales stakeholders not to think that the rail box is ticked in Mid Wales but to use the undoubted success of the new services to campaign for a fit for purposes 21st century replacement for the current Wales and Borders franchise in 2018."
Earlier this week, Welsh Assembly transport minister Edwina Hart announced £31,000 Welsh Government funding to extend Welshpool station car park to meet increased demand from the new Cambrian Line rail services.
It follows a meeting with the Mid Wales Railways Implementation Group about anticipated extra demand.
Four additional return services will operate between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury Monday to Saturday, with hourly services for peak morning and afternoon times. There will also be two new return Sunday services, and an improvement to evening services on the Cambrian Coast between Barmouth and Pwllheli.
Mrs Hart said: "We expect the extra services between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury will increase demand at Welshpool so it is important we increase parking capacity at the station and encourage more people to park and ride."
