A Midlands Connect report published today highlights the concerns of Shropshire businesses and calls for a number of enhancements on the Shrewsbury to Birmingham line, saying the 'vital' route is 'frequently subject to delays and overcrowding'. Amid the calls for improvements a number of the county's leading businesses have been explaining their thoughts on current situation, its effect, and what should happen. * Asked about the impact of the current limitations of the service Joel Campbell, CEO of Cove Group which runs the Shrewsbury Prison tourist attraction, said: "The reliability of the line, and the fact that most trains run with only two carriages, presents a capacity challenge.
” Sophie Dwerryhouse of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) Midlands, echoed those sentiments, saying: "The service is always incredibly busy at commuter times, and with often just two carriages to supply the demand of all the stops from Shrewsbury to Birmingham, the train isn’t large enough." Meanwhile, Alastair Godfrey of the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings Project, agreed with concerns about capacity and reliability, outlining the need for more regular services to connect with onward journeys from Birmingham. He said: "More regular services would certainly help boost confidence in the reliability of the rail network as a mode of travel.
Currently, if someone experiences a delay in Shrewsbury, they’ll miss an onward connection in Birmingham, leaving them waiting at the station for an extended period." Representatives from the Mercia District of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the situation has a tangible impact on local unemployed people being able to find work in the county. Charlie Lloyd, from the DWP, said: "Those using our services can often experience the rail network in the area as a barrier to their participation in job centre appointments, interviews and accessing other developmental opportunities.
We often attribute lack of attendance at appointments due to disruption in transport." Louise Johnson from the DWP added that uncertainty can put people off going for certain jobs. She said: "If people don’t feel confident about how they could travel to work using the rail network, this will act as a barrier to them applying to certain roles, especially if they don’t have access to a car.
"If there is disruption on the rail line, they will be left with no other transport option.” * Businesses have outlined how an improved rail service would make access easier for people visiting the county, in turn boosting tourism and the economy. Mr Campbell said: "A better service on the line would help attract more visitors to Shrewsbury Prison and to the wider area.
” Mark Hooper from Visit Shropshire talked about the limitations imposed on tourism by the current timetable. He said: "We are always hoping to secure later nighttime services, because Shrewsbury and Telford now host quite a few big, late-night events. "For example, JLS are coming to Shrewsbury and will attract a crowd of circa 20,000 people, and as this is a music concert it goes late into the evening.
"I’ve heard many anecdotes where people either have to not drink, which of course means they spend less money in the local economy, or they have to end their evening short, leaving before the concert ends. "Of course, if these connections were better, we would likely see more people travel to Shropshire from outside of the county to attend events here." Ms Johnson, from the DWP said: "The last trains to Birmingham are at 10pm.
The nighttime economy is flourishing at that point, especially in Shrewsbury. So, to have trains go after that time would be fantastic." Mr Campbell said that increased tourist numbers would boost all of the area's businesses, not just visitor attractions.
He said: "Better rail connectivity will only improve the visitor numbers to Shrewsbury, regardless of the demographic. It will only improve, and that's just better for everybody, whether you're a tourist attraction, whether you're a hotel, whether you're a pub, whether you're a shop, a restaurant or cafe. The more people visiting an area, the better it is.
” * The issue of environmental impact has also been raised, with businesses talking about how improved rail services can make aspirations a reality. Charlie Lloyd from the Department for Work and Pensions said: "Quite often, people choose to drive instead of taking the train due to lack of sensible connections. "For example, if you live in Kidderminster and work in Telford, to do that journey by train you have to go into Birmingham, change there, and then on to Telford.
"Whereas you can just drive directly, saving considerable time and hassle. Of course though, this has a knock on effect for sustainability, and when we are trying to operate as a net zero organisation ourselves, improvements to the line would help with that mission.” Sarah Crook, Head of Regional Delivery West Midlands, HM Revenue & Customs said: "We aim to support our people to reach their own carbon neutrality, by encouraging them to use the train and other public transport.
"However, we do have an issue with doing this with confidence, given the frequent disruption to the line and unreliable service it experiences.” Mr Hooper from Visit Shropshire outlined how congestion in Shrewsbury could reduce the town's appeal for visitors, saying: "We're fully supportive of sustainable transport. Shrewsbury's medieval, so it's not really built for the car.
It's built for a horse and cart. "The more people we can get to the train station, that's in the centre of the town, the better, because it doesn't clog up our town. What we definitely don't want is more tourists come in but saying, Shrewsbury's a beautiful place, but all we did was sit in traffic.
" Mr Campbell also spoke about how improvements to the train service could help improve congestion issues in Shrewsbury. He said: "Visitors arriving by train would be our preferred method of arrival. We have very limited spaces and therefore there is congestion for local residents, with cars waiting to access our car park.
Better rail connections would create an overall better visitor experience. "There is an example of a company who held an event here, and all their customers came from Birmingham, but due to lack of confidence in the rail system they hired and used coaches.” He added: "From a tourism perspective, if the trains are better, more frequent, more reliable, have greater capacity and are cost effective, then more people will travel like that, instead of by car.
" * One of the issues highlighted in the report is a feeling from Telford businesses that congestion and a lack of investment disproportionately affects them. Ms Johnson, from the DWP said: "If you're going from Shrewsbury to Birmingham, you can probably get a seat at Shrewsbury. But by the time you get to Telford Central, all the seats have gone.
"This poses a significant issue in the confidence of people who might have mobility issues or anxiety issues in accessing the service from Telford, as they would have to stand for their journey." Ms Dwerryhouse, Country Land and Business Association (CLA) Midlands agreed: "I wouldn’t use the service if I had to get on at Telford, I would feel forced to find an alternative, because there is so little chance of getting a seat, and if people need to work on the train or read for work, that can have a knock-on impact on the productivity of their day.” Paul Atkins from the Phoenix Group said the lack of investment leaves Telford feeling neglected.
He said: "We have two office locations in Telford and Birmingham and would like to see the transport links between these improved. But currently, it feels like the Telford train station is neglected, with facilities like a coffee shop being closed down. It’s a small issue but exemplifies the lack of investment in the line.
” Ms Crook from HM Revenue & Customs, said Telford is disproportionately affected when there is disruption on the line. She said: "I now travel to Wolverhampton to get the train into Birmingham, rather than travelling to Telford, due to the service of the line at that station. While staff are incredibly friendly and helpful, the disruption is disproportionately felt in Telford.
"Just the other morning, after getting on the train and the train leaving Birmingham, I was notified that it wouldn’t stop at Telford. "If I had parked at Telford as I used to, I would then have to fund, by myself, a taxi from the nearest station the train did stop at back to Telford. Something I have had to do previously, and which does cost me £40 personally each time it happens.
” Charlie Lloyd, from the DWP, raised significant concern that a lack of rail connectivity in Telford could be driving away skilled workers. He said: “Access to cost effective rail connections would enable employees in Telford to access opportunities and find higher paid jobs and more skilled work.” He added that the limitations could see young people leaving for better opportunities.
He said: "There are communities across Shropshire, such as Telford, with high levels of youth unemployment. Without better transport connectivity, they are going to feel that they can’t access the different opportunities out there. “They might fancy going on a night out in Shrewsbury from Telford but can't because all the trains end at a certain time.
So, they'll consider moving to a bigger city, like Birmingham or Manchester. It shows the importance of seeing some kind of improvements to this line, particularly for levelling up our rural areas.” * A more frequent direct service to London has also been highlighted by business leaders as key to unlocking Shropshire's economic potential.
Ms Dwerryhouse, from the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) Midlands, said: "Services from Shropshire to London go only as far as Birmingham before you have to change. I have heard that we are the only county in the whole of the country without a direct line to London. “We represent what we term ‘the rural powerhouse’ and having better connections from the rural economy to London would help us level up and unlock our regional potential.
” Ms Johnson from the DWP said: "I think a direct line from Shrewsbury to London would help open up opportunities for people who want to live in the countryside but who would work, when they go into the office, in London or Birmingham.” Mr Godfrey, from the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings Project, added: "“Shrewsbury has always been out on a limb, and it can feel quite cut off. An improved train service would definitely help the delivery of the regeneration corridor, and also help people who live here to not feel so cut off from the rest of the country.
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