Upgrade proposed for rail line through Chirk/Ruabon

* Chirk rail station.

A main rail line used regularly by Llangollen travellers could be in line for an upgrade.

Today (Friday) sub-national transport body Midlands Connect releases its Marches Road and Rail blueprint at a virtual conference.

It says the aim is to help ‘unlock the full economic potential of the Marches and Mid and West Wales.

The proposals are for a suite of upgrades for rail improvements in Herefordshire; Shropshire; and Telford & Wrekin as well as counties in Mid and West Wales. The plans have been created in conjunction with the Welsh Government.

For the Chester to Shrewsbury line, which stops at Wrexham, Ruabon, Chirk and Gobowen, Midlands Connect is proposing:

• Secure faster and a higher frequency of trains, with greater direct connectivity between Telford and Chester
• Reviews of accessibility to train stations, identifying any barriers people may have in using them for the “first and last mile” of their journey.

Midlands Connect also proposes the government support upgrades on the Birmingham – Black Country – Shrewsbury rail line as the ‘gateway’ to the Marches and Mid and West Wales.

It also recommends road upgrades for the A5 not just to improve local safety, but to enhance the longer distance role played by the A5 in connecting England to Holyhead and beyond.

It also suggests delivery of the Pant – Llanymynech bypass as soon as possible as well as the A49 corridor given its role in moving people and freight in and out of Wales.

Midlands Connect will take this blueprint to Government to ask for funding, specifically for the rail schemes as part of the Union Connectivity Review, in conjunction with the Welsh Government. Funding was set aside to progress key projects in the report, released in November 2021.

Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect said: “This document outlines a series of road and rail projects that we believe could unlock the full economic potential of the Marches and Mid and West Wales.

“Midlands Connect has been working closely with the Welsh Government to create a plan that we will take to government in Westminster.

“All these improvements would help bind the union together but help Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin get the rail and road improvements they need.”