A new cheap rail service linking the Black Country to London could be delayed amid concerns about the volume of trains running between Wolverhampton and Walsall.

The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company has asked the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) to approve a plan to launch a train service from North Wales to the capital, via Wolverhampton and Walsall, at £20 a ticket.

The company is set up to start operating by December providing it gets the green light by July. But fears have now emerged the decision will be delayed because of queries and objections raised by rival operators and transport bodies.

The company had planned to run five trains a day to Wolverhampton on the way to London but Virgin West Coast objected. Instead passengers can board at Tame Bridge Parkway in Walsall, giving the borough its first direct link to the capital.

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A new cheap rail service linking the Black Country to London could be delayed amid concerns about the volume of trains running between Wolverhampton and Walsall.

The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company has asked the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR) to approve a plan to launch a train service from North Wales to the capital, via Wolverhampton and Walsall, at £20 a ticket.

The company is set up to start operating by December providing it gets the green light by July. But fears have now emerged the decision will be delayed because of queries and objections raised by rival operators and transport bodies.

The company had planned to run five trains a day to Wolverhampton on the way to London but Virgin West Coast objected. Instead passengers can board at Tame Bridge Parkway in Walsall, giving the borough its first direct link to the capital.

Trains campaign group Rail Future is backing the scheme, but secretary Peter Hughes said the ORR had received complicated objections which could delay the operation until next year.

“The feeling is that it will happen but not as soon as we all hoped,” he added.

Public transport body Centro’s objection is one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the plan.

Spokesman Babs Coombes said the authority did not object to the proposals in principle but was concerned about the volume of trains between Wolverhampton and Walsall.

She said: “The proposals by WSMR clash with current local and long distance rail services in the West Midlands and the introduction of this service could have a negative impact on the performance of these services.

Arriva Trains Wales is also concerned about reliability on the line running between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.