Video and pictures: Shropshire to London direct rail service celebrates first anniversary

And for the past 12 months he has been driving the trains for the new direct Shrewsbury-to-London rail link, which celebrates its first anniversary today.

Seated behind the controls in the hi-tech cabin of the tilting Bombardier Super Voyager, Wayne has been driving the London service since its launch.

A veteran with 36 years' service under his belt, Wayne says he particularly enjoys the stretch between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury.

"It's a nice bit, it is something a bit different, a bit quieter, it makes a change from doing Birmingham to London," he says.

"I live in Brewood, so it almost goes past my house."

The 52-year-old followed in the footsteps of his father Fred by taking a job in signalling when he was 16 years old.

"I was always going to work on the railways," he says.

"Then, a bit later on, I heard there was a job going on the footplate, and I started learning under some of the drivers who had worked under the age of steam."

The technology is far more sophisticated in today's trains compared to when he started out. For example, a small computer screen in his cab tells him when he approaches a station, and also alerts him if he will need to slow down.

He says in many respects the advances in technology have been a force for good, although he is still a huge fan of the British Rail High Speed Trains which were made from 1975 to 1982, and still holds the record of the fastest diesel-powered train in the world.

"They are a fantastic bit of kit, they have got so much power," he says.

"The technology has made life a lot simpler on the whole. On some of the old multiple units there used to be a handle you had to hold down all the time when you were moving, that used to get quite tiring if you were driving all the way from Birmingham to Liverpool."

The service was launched on December 14 last year, following a long campaign by the Shropshire Star which was backed by MPs across the county.

A petition, which was led by the Star, attracted 3,000 signatures, and on its launch last year Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson thanked the people of Shropshire for their support in campaigning for the direct link to be reinstated. The inaugural journey was made by a train named The Wrekin Giant, the name chosen by Toni Williams after the Shropshire Star held a competition.

Among the original crew members when the service was launched were assistant service manager Sharon Trout and customer services assistant Marcus Hall.

Sharon, 44, from Wolverhampton, says it is one of her favourite services to work on, as there is such a close relationship between the staff and the passengers.

"We used to say we were all like one big family, the Shrewsbury family," she says. "If you are happy, and the customers are happy, if everyone is laughing, then the journey just flies by."

Fellow assistant services manager Michael Latimer, 28, adds: "There's a lady on the 6.39 service who always has an orange juice and porridge, so now I don't take an order, I just know what she wants. The customers like that, it's good to see a familiar face."

Andrew Kellitt, from Shrewsbury, travels from Shrewsbury and London and back around twice a month for his work as a motorsport rally organiser.

"I use the direct service whenever I can, it is much more convenient.

"It is more about the convenience than just the time, it's being able to sit down and not having to change trains. I've always found the staff to be very good," says the 62-year-old.

Heading the on-board crew is train manager Brad Joyce, 29 from Stafford. While the days of the guard with a flag and whistle are long gone, Brad still holds the responsibility for ensuring that all passengers have boarded and left the train safely, pressing a button which sounds a buzzer in the cab for driver Wayne to lock all the doors.

"The main priority is always safety," he says.

They all say that in its first year, the service has built up a loyal clientele who use the train for a variety of different reasons.

Alice Cruttwell, 52, from Belle Vue, Shrewsbury, uses it twice a months for her work with the public health team at Shropshire Council.

"Having the direct service is very important, it means I am able to settle down and do work on the train," she says.

Mandy Carter, 55, from Montgomery, is on her way to stay with friends in London.

"I use is about every two months for pleasure," she says. "It is certainly preferable having a direct service.

Mark Ward, takes the service three times a month to travel to London for his job as a personal assistant.

"It makes a big difference being able to get on the train at Shrewsbury, and stay on it all the way to London," says the 44-year-old.

"I always take the direct service if I can, it depends on the timings sometimes with there being only two services a day. There could do with being more on really," he says.

Using the service for the first time are Suzanne Johnston, from Bicton Heath, and work colleagues Javier Vera and Germain Fauny, who are both living in Shrewsbury. The trio, who work at Shawbury-based Smithers Rapra are on their way to Brussells for a business meeting.

Suzanne, who is manager of European services for the company, says having the direct service is vitally important for business in the county.

"We had been looking at flying, but for the three of us that would have cost £1,000. By getting the train to London and then taking Eurostar, it is around a third of that cost, " says the 39-year-old.

Also heading abroad are Julia Dawes and Katherine Foster, who use the service on a regular basis for social trips to the capital.

"We're going to spend one night in London, and then go to France," says Julia, who is 55.

"We first went on it the week after it was launched to see a football match in London at Chelsea."

Katherine, 30, adds: "It definitely means we use the train more, rather than having to change at Birmingham."

For Stuart and Sally Sutton, who live close to Shrewsbury town centre, it is their first journey on the new direct link, although Stuart says he previously used the Wrexham, Shropshire, Marylebone Railway service which ran from 2008 to 2011.

"We're going to visit family in London," says Stuart, a retired civil engineer who is in his 70s.

"It's much more convenient having the direct link, when I used to work I would get the early morning service."

Joining the crew on the Shrewsbury service for the first time is Lindsey Barnett, 31, from Wolverhampton, who is manning the refreshments shop on her first day back from maternity leave.

"I've really enjoyed it so far," she says. "It seems a really nice route to work on."

Tony Miles, of Modern Railways magazine, had also campaigned for the direct link to be restored, following the scrapping of previous services by Wrexham, Shropshire Marylebone Railway, and a previous service operated by Virgin in the late 1990s.

He says getting a direct link to London is a big coup for the county, but says it is essential that people continue to make use of the service.

"There is precious little spare capacity on the existing railway lines, that is why HS2 is so important," he says.

"Until HS2 comes along, there is very fierce competition for the available capacity that is there, and it is very easy to campaign for people in a particular place to campaign for a new direct rail link, but then once it is in place and they feel secure, to then not use it.

"When that happens, other areas that are pressing for extra services will point to the routes which aren't being used.

"I am very glad that people do appear to be supporting it, otherwise, having gone on television and radio saying how important it is, I would have been left with egg on my face.

"On previous occasions there were services from Shrewsbury, people didn't use it, so in that respect people in the town are very lucky they are getting a second bite.

"A lot of people seem to be using the service, which is very good. A member of staff told me there was a man uses it every day to get to London.

"A lot of people go down to work in London on a Monday, and return home on a Friday, it means they can live somewhere nice that is away from the big city."