Wrexham & Shropshire

As a committed rail user I am very sad to hear that the train operator Wrexham and Shropshire Railways will cease operations at the end of this month. In my opinion, they are the only decent train company in operation. Over the course of three years they have delivered an impeccable service that put the pleasure back into train travel with comfortable carriages, friendly well-informed staff, free internet and locally-sourced refreshments. On closure the business will be neither “insolvent nor being placed in administration and all outstanding financial commitments will be met.” Further to that, they are seeking employment opportunities for their staff and paying wages and full redundancy entitlements. This makes them quite possibly the most decent rail company ever operating at a time when we need it most.

The message they sent to passengers this morning said “it was concluded that the business, which operates with no public subsidy, would not provide a return on investment.” My first thought was to lobby for public subsidy. Our railways are highly politicized but surely this could present an opportunity to address the failing customer standards and hold up one company as a gold standard in rail travel? Then I read further. Wrexham and Shropshire Railways, the ‘local’ company that garnered its support from the rural communities around Wrexham, Shrewsbury, Birmingham and Banbury, is owned by Deutsche Bahn. Forecasts say it is unlikely to become profitable and thus it will be efficiently closed down. End of story.

But what if it had been a local company as we all assumed? Might there have been a fight to be won against Westminster – a fight for some subsidy that might encourage rail networks to offer a better service? As it is, it's a miserable example of yet another area of public service where we encourage mediocrity rather than meritocracy and I’ve decided to buy a car.