Glyn Davies, Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, has welcomed this morning’s announcement by Virgin Trains that a new Shrewsbury to London Euston service will begin from December 2014.
The franchise agreement promises commuters and travellers from Mid Wales and across the border in Shropshire frequent, direct services to London, as well as north to Blackpool. The trains will be equipped with superfast WiFi and a plan for £20m of investment in waiting rooms, ticket machines and staff in stations along the route.
The announcement from Virgin Trains and the Department for Transport is further good news for those wishing to use public transport in Montgomeryshire, following the recent announcement that an hourly service on the Aberystwyth-Shrewsbury line would come into effect from May next year.
Commenting on the announcement, Glyn Davies MP said:
“I greatly welcome today’s announcement by Virgin Trains that an agreement has been reached with the Department of Transport to run the West Coast Line until March 2017, including a new Shrewsbury-London service from December this year. This agreement has been a long time coming, and train users from Mid Wales will be pleased that the uncertainty of recent years is coming to an end
“A direct link from Shrewsbury to London Euston is important for Mid Wales as well as for Shropshire, and is particularly important to business travellers. Virgin Trains have made a success of the West Coast Line since taking over the franchise in 1997, and has doubled the number of passengers to 37 million. I am looking forward to discussing with Virgin the details of the new contract with Virgin Trains later this week”
