Out-of-town railway station plan for A5 near Shrewsbury
A new out-of-town railway station could be created alongside one of Shropshire’s main roads.
The idea of creating a parkway station near the A5 in Shrewsbury is being explored. The station would prevent all rail passengers needing to go into the centre of the market town.
Council leader Peter Nutting said: “I’m interested in a parkway railway station at Preston Boats.
“There’s nothing planned, but if we could have a station there it would allow people who want to get to Birmingham or London to park up and get on a train from there.
“There’s no reason also why you couldn’t park a car there and get a train into the middle of Shrewsbury.
“We think there is scope to do something of that nature and it’s in very early days of the planning.”
As the Shrewsbury to Birmingham railway line already passes close to the A5 at Preston Boats, Councillor Nutting says there is a realistic opportunity for something to be done that would also help tie in with potential changes to the park and ride in the town.
The authority is proposing to reduce its public transport budget by £405,000 and the Shrewsbury park and ride budget by £50,000.
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He said: “At the moment we have three park and ride sites. The Oxon site is soon going to be right in the middle of a lot of housing being built on the urban extension and because there will be a change to the road system there we are not sure it’ll be in the right place.
“We could combine it with the one at Meole Brace into one location, perhaps tie it up nearer to the hospital so the hospital has surplus parking as well and do something along those lines.
“If we go from three park and ride sites to two that would make financial sense. We have to review the way park and ride works around Shrewsbury.”
Councillor Nutting also suggested that people will start to see work being done as part of The Big Shrewsbury Town Plan, which is acting as a blueprint for the development of the town over the next two decades, within the next year.
“Wait 12 months and we’ll have to start a crane count in Shrewsbury,” said Councillor Nutting.
"That’s when you start to see things happening, when cranes start appearing in the skyline. Next year you will see cranes around the town.”
