Overstretched Shrewsbury railway station could get new platform and bridge

Network Rail today released a plan to cope with huge increases in rail users that have left services overcrowded.

Among options being considered is the construction of a new platform opposite the Buttermarket nightclub in Howard Street.

The existing platform three may also be extended outwards 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, and if it is widened, and platform eight built, a footbridge could be constructed to get between them all.

The current bridge, which is of more use to people getting between Castlefields and the town centre then to passengers, would be retained.

The plans are 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.

In a document assessing the future of Welsh railway services, part of which is the franchise including Shrewsbury, Network Rail says: "On average passenger demand is expected to grow by 24 per cent to 2023 and by 82 per cent to 2043 during peak hour into Shrewsbury from Welsh Route Study corridors."

It added that at present Shrewsbury does not have the capacity to meet demand.

The number of passenger and freight trains passing through Shrewsbury is expected to increase significantly as demand soars, with the Cardiff to Manchester line in particularly likely to be running twice as many services.

The modelling for the station's capacity also suggests that long-distance routes – meaning the direct train to London – could become hourly service which continues to Wrexham.

At the same time, demand in some areas is expected to outstrip the number of services, and routes heading into the West Midlands via Telford appear likely to become saturated.

In a separate report for the West Midlands and Chiltern services, Network Rail says it is planning to lengthen both trains and some platforms between Shrewsbury and the Second City to accommodate growing passenger numbers as rail travel demand is expected to increase 49 per cent in the next seven years.

The steep rise in users is expected in the West Midlands and Chilterns region with an additional 24 million annual passenger journeys expected to be taking place in 2023.

The routes, which link Birmingham and the West Midlands with London and includes the route heading out of the Second City into Shropshire, already caters for more than 50 million passenger journeys every year – a number predicted to increase to more than 100 million by 2043.

Through its multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, Network Rail is already delivering improvements across Britain to provide passengers with a better railway and help boost economies, including the £750m redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station and the £250m upgrade of the railway near Stafford.

A study was carried out by Network Rail to produce the figures, which outline the capacity challenges and has developed potential options for funders to improve future services for passengers and freight.

While HS2 will provide more frequent, faster services from the West Midlands and surrounding areas to London, there is a need to upgrade the existing railway so passengers can easily access HS2.

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: "It is vital that the rail industry continues to prepare for future challenges, not least how more people can access a vastly improved and expanded railway.

"Across the West Midlands and Chilterns, there is much to do to meet predicted demand. This study outlines possible options. The impact of HS2 will be huge and it is vital the existing railway connects with the new and the benefits it will deliver."

The study identifies a number of potential options for capacity and capability improvements to enable the railway to continue to connect people to jobs and promote economic growth over the next 10 to 30 years.

Comments can be submitted by email to westmidlandsandchilternsroutestudy@networkrail.co.uk or at www.networkrail.co.uk/long-term-planning-process/West-Midlands-and-Chilterns-Route-Study/