Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway

[bussnapperwm]

An application for the "Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway" (no connection to the former Arriva company) has appeared online for a service calling at Wrexham General, Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Darlaston, Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton, Milton Keynes (set down southbound/pick up northbound) and London Euston with an end to end journey time of 3 hours and 5 minutes

Ian Walters is one of the people registered as a director of the company along with Andrew Helm and Tony Cahill.

However I can't seem to find much more of the application apart from the below link what was posted on another forum (nothing appears on the ORR site though)

https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/sale-of-access-rights/Consultations/Current Track Access Consultations/20.11.2023 - WSMR Company limited - Section 17 - Closes 20.12.2023/passenger-access-application-form-p_WSMR_S17_Final Draft FOR ISSUE.pdf

As part of this initial 7 year Track Access application, WSMR will invest in the development of various proposals that if proven to be deliverable will improve passenger ticketing experience and optimise train performance, improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions: • Intelligent Engine Start/Stop technology and the installation of modified engines which meet EURO 3b emissions standards, if successful these modified engines will deliver a 70% reduction in NOx and 80% reduction in particulates. • Business case development to support the consideration of developing and fitting the Class 22x fleet with battery technology for short distances. • New seat reservation technology which will allow customers to reserve a seat up to 10 minutes before boarding the train at any location and new ticketing applications which will be truly paperless. • Installation of technical equipment that will support Network Rail Measurement Train activities.

Smells a bit like an ORCATS raid on the WM to London market to me.

(Thread posted to generate discussion of the application, not to invite speculative postings)

 

[Lemmy99uk]

Goodness! It’s been a long time since a timetabled passenger service ran over the Sutton Park line.

 

[The Planner]

Ian Walters runs SLC Rail. Pretty sure they have an non passenger licence already. Someone will need to make a decision on Grand Union or this, they both won't fit on the WCML.

 

[zwk500]

Sounds like somebody thinks the cancellation of the northern part of HS2 reopens the market for direct services to Shrewsbury and Wrexham rather than a change at Crewe. Nuneaton, hang a left then use the space on the Sutton Park line is quite crafty - you serve the west midlands but not in a way that threatens to abstract the Franchised Operator's main flows. Getting a slot through Wolverhampton will be fun but coming from Walsall not impossible (if slow). Big question is whether serving Shrewsbury and Wrexham will be seen as primarily abstractive or not.
The times aren't great but aren't terrible, although where the unit goes for 45-60 minutes at Wrexham will be another problem.

 

[Zontar]

Who is behind this new operator? If it's at all new.....why would it work this time round?

 

[43096]

Ian Walters runs SLC Rail. Pretty sure they have a non passenger licence already. Someone will need to make a decision on Grand Union or this, they both won't fit on the WCML.

If you’re thinking of SLC Operations as the part of the business that has an operational licence, there is no longer any connection. SLC Operations was bought by RailAdventure in July last year and is now RailAdventure UK Ltd (and has both passenger and non-passenger operating licences).

 

[zwk500]

Who is behind this new operator? If it's at all new.....why would it work this time round?

The previous service ran via Tame Bridge Parkway and Leamington, squeezing onto the very busy Birmingham-Coventry corridor and then down the Chiltern Line. Marylebone isn't the most convenient Long-Distance terminal, not sure what the journey times were like.
This time by going direct to Nuneaton then skirting the West Midlands conurbation they should have 1. A decent catchment of people who will prefer the direct train over tripping into New Street for Avanti (Coleshill Parkway in particular may be very useful) and 2. A decent path for people coming from beyond Wolverhampton. Given Avanti only operate limited services to both Shrewsbury and Wrexham (the Wrexham going via Chester and Crewe), this service does offer an alternative

 

[ian1944]

Not at present a station at Darlaston - is one in progress anyway?

 

[The Planner]

I assume they are paying for the line speed increase on the Sutton Park they are requiring.

Not at present a station at Darlaston - is one in progress anyway?

Yes, though very behind schedule as it stands.

 

[zwk500]

Not at present a station at Darlaston - is one in progress anyway?

Willenhall and Darlaston stations

Your one stop shop for travel in the West Midlands

wmre.org.uk

I assume they are paying for the line speed increase on the Sutton Park they are requiring.

Or hoping to piggyback on the project to reintroduce a local service?

 

[The Planner]

Willenhall and Darlaston stations

Your one stop shop for travel in the West Midlands

wmre.org.uk

Or hoping to piggyback on the project to reintroduce a local service?

There is no project. Its fag packet. Even Aldridge is stuttering.

 

[zwk500]

There is no project. Its fag packet. Even Aldridge is stuttering.

Hardly unknown for OAOs proposals (although admittedly not ones that get as far as this) to rely on rather ambitious assumptions around various suggestions. And a shame but not overly surprising to see the Sutton Park proposals splutter out.

 

[DarloRich]

chances of this ever happening? zero?

 

[andythebrave]

It was all good until I got to the bit about 10 minutes reservations.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Wasn't the death of the original WSMR the fact that Arriva (who by then owned both) wanted the LHCS for Chiltern, not that WSMR itself was nonviable?

 

[alistairlees]

Wasn't the death of the original WSMR the fact that Arriva (who by then owned both) wanted the LHCS for Chiltern, not that WSMR itself was nonviable?

It was loss-making

 

[Cambrian359]

Sounds like somebody thinks the cancellation of the northern part of HS2 reopens the market for direct services to Shrewsbury and Wrexham rather than a change at Crewe. Nuneaton, hang a left then use the space on the Sutton Park line is quite crafty - you serve the west midlands but not in a way that threatens to abstract the Franchised Operator's main flows. Getting a slot through Wolverhampton will be fun but coming from Walsall not impossible (if slow). Big question is whether serving Shrewsbury and Wrexham will be seen as primarily abstractive or not.
The times aren't great but aren't terrible, although where the unit goes for 45-60 minutes at Wrexham will be another problem.

Platform 3 ? I presume it’s still rarely used since W&S stopped.
Also isn’t there 2 bays to stable in? refurbished for W & S use back in the day.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Platform 3 ? I presume it’s still rarely used since W&S stopped.
Also isn’t there 2 bays to stable in? refurbished for W & S use back in the day.

The bays are not for passenger use I think, just for servicing.
P3 is how freight and ECS gets to the Bidston line.

 

[markymark2000]

Shame that the proposals don't include an extension to Chester on the first 2 and last 2 (the diagrams which start or end their day in Wrexham). Chester suffers badly from a lack of proper services through to the West Midlands and relies pretty heavily on either the 2 hourly TFW via Shrewsbury or running via Crewe which is rather expensive. Chester to London is a route which seems to be rather busy as well at the minute and Avantis reliability on the line and constant dilly dallying with removing Chester services from the timetable doesn't help to get people onto trains.

 

[zwk500]

Platform 3 ? I presume it’s still rarely used since W&S stopped.
Also isn’t there 2 bays to stable in? refurbished for W & S use back in the day.

I'm not sure on the length of 3 but I don't think it's long, and the bays are certainly not passenger-rated, nor easy to make them so. Easiest option will be to shunt into Croes Newydd Goods Loop off Platform 2 and shunt back into Platform 1 to start back.

 

[JonathanH]

Wasn't the death of the original WSMR the fact that Arriva (who by then owned both) wanted the LHCS for Chiltern, not that WSMR itself was nonviable?

No. WSMR stopped when it was recognised it could never meet its costs and accrued losses, despite attempts to streamline the operation. It was basically insolvent, but the parent agreed to meet its losses.

Chiltern ended up with the LHCS because the work had been done.

 

[Bald Rick]

This raised a chuckle last week

 

[LUYMun]

Class 22X fleet is specified by the Open Access Application. With other proposals also made by Grand Union's England-Wales and Scotland-Wales routes, alongside the Avanti > XC transfers, the ROSCO will have a field day trying to allocate the 22x fleet to each company, if all came to fruition!

 

[robspaceman]

Well if Avanti aren’t going to fulfill their commitment to services between Shropshire and London (aren’t they supposed to be doing more than the measly one per day?) then why not an OA operator? Good luck to them I say.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Well if Avanti aren’t going to fulfill their commitment to services between Shropshire and London (aren’t they supposed to be doing more than the measly one per day?) then why not an OA operator? Good luck to them I say.

Avanti don’t have any commitments for any extra services. They are running the full specified timetable by the DfT in line with their contract.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

No. WSMR stopped when it was recognised it could never meet its costs and accrued losses, despite attempts to streamline the operation. It was basically insolvent, but the parent agreed to meet its losses.

Real people (shareholders) lost their investment when WSMR closed - it was not just an Arriva show.
The Welsh Assembly then acquired some of the stock for the Premier service (Holyhead-Cardiff), and TfW are still operating the 67s.

 

[JonathanH]

The Welsh Assembly then acquired some of the stock for the Premier service (Holyhead-Cardiff), and TfW are still operating the 67s.

The Premier service continued to use Mark 2s for some time after WSMR finished, and had its own allocation (67001-03) of 67s. The WSMR Mark 3s and allocation of 67s (67010/12-15) all went to Chiltern.

There were more Mark 3s that Chiltern / Arriva had access to, some of which ended up on the Premier Service, and at one point it was expected that more Chiltern sets may be made up, but they got hold of the TPE 170s instead.

 

[CyrusWuff]

The Premier service continued to use Mark 2s for some time after WSMR finished, and had its own allocation (67001-03) of 67s. The WSMR Mark 3s and allocation of 67s (67010/12-15) all went to Chiltern.

There were more Mark 3s that Chiltern / Arriva had access to, some of which ended up on the Premier Service, and at one point it was expected that more Chiltern sets may be made up, but they got hold of the TPE 170s instead.

Indeed, I believe Chiltern/Laing/M40 Trains/Adrian Shooter (not sure who actually owned them!) had picked out enough Mk3s and DVTs to be in a position to switch the entire Birmingham service over, though only four rakes were refurbished for Wrexham & Shropshire use.

 

[anthony263]

Dont forget originally WSMR were going to lease from Poterbrook the class 170s that were just co.ing off lease from Midland mainline although they then suddenly became unavailable i suspect meddling from DFT

 

[Bartsimho]

I think in the West Coast South Strategic Strategic Advice plans they had identified Shrewsbury as a place to receive increased service from the extra southern WCML capacity released by HS2. This would satisfy that although I would guess it would depend on if Avanti West Coast lodge a complaint and state they would improve service to the area and with the change back to the older system of contracts means they might do that. https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/main-revenue-flows-on-the-wcml.253843/