Capital train link derailed
Rail passengers in Wolverhampton are no longer getting the cheap link to London they were promised by a new operator due to objections from Virgin Trains.
The Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway Company (WSMR) had planned to run services for an average fare of under £20 from north Wales through Shropshire, Wolverhampton and then to the capital.
The route was also planned to include stops at Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Cosford and Shifnal as well as Telford, and the journey would take more than two hours to complete.
Virgin's Pendolino trains currently take under 90 minutes to get to Euston but fares range from £30 to more than £100. A bid was submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation in the hope of getting the new service running by the autumn.
But it has now emerged Virgin Trains has objected to the plan saying putting more trains on the line would introduce "new performance risks to an already heavy-utilised series of routes."
As a compromise WSMR has said it would no longer allow passengers to board its trains in Wolverhampton and would only stop for people wanting to get off.
Rail travellers from the Black Country will instead have to get on at Tameside Parkway, near Walsall, to take advantage of cut-price fares.
WSMR director John Nelson said the change would not affect the commercial viability of the scheme. He said: "We're confident it can still be a useful service because people living to the west of Wolverhampton will still get their direct link to London."
The company has referred the suggestion back to regulators ahead of a further consultation.
Mr Nelson said the argument had held up the project but he was now hopeful WSMR would be operating trains by the end of the year.
