Shrewsbury Railway Station a 'disgrace', says MP

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham, said he had contacted Network Rail to raise concerns about the railway station, which is managed by Arriva Trains Wales.

The Conservative said the current state of the building does not providing a fitting welcome for visitors to the town.

He said: "I was actually stopped at the station by people who remarked on the state of it. I took some photos to show how they have neglected this very historic building. They have also promised to refurbish the Dana bridge and they have yet to do it.

"They are neglecting this very important building. It is the first thing people see when they arrive in Shrewsbury and it looks a disgrace. I am not going to allow them to get away with it."

Writing on Twitter Mr Kawczynski said he would raise the issue in parliament and asked for a meeting at the station with Network Rail.

The company had pledged to refurbish the Dana Footbridge in 2015 but has not yet started work.

Last year Network Rail released a plan to cope with huge increases in passengers using the station for the decades to come.

Among options put forward was the construction of a new platform opposite the Buttermarket nightclub in Howard Street.

Under the plan the existing platform three could also be extended so it can be used for routes heading towards Crewe.

Currently travellers have to leave the station to get between platform three and the rest of the station. The report stated that if it was widened, and a platform eight built, then a footbridge could be constructed to link them.

The current bridge, which is more commonly used by people getting between Castlefields and the town centre than passengers, would be retained.

The plans were part of the Welsh Route Study, published by the publicly-owned rail infrastructure company.

In total, the cost of the various works is estimated at between £5 million and £15 million. No timescale has been given, but the work refers to the need to meet capacity by 2043.

Stuart Jones, Head of Property Development for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We are very proud of the improvement work we have helped achieve at Shrewsbury Station over recent years with our partners in Network Rail and will always strive to give customers the best experience possible when travelling from the station.

"These include the new customer waiting room, customer information point and additional parking in Howard Street car park. We are also pleased to confirm work on a new toilet block, funded by the Department for Transport, will begin shortly.”