New North Wales to London train service has been rejected
Working in partnership with consultancy SLC Rail they proposed the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR). This would have seen a service between Wrexham and London Euston of five trains per day in each direction Monday to Saturday, with four travelling both ways on Sundays.
The service received political backing from MPs in the areas of the route as well as local rail passenger groups and would have created 50 jobs, with the first trains departing this summer.
But those in the industry had objected on grounds of capacity, failure to account for paths allocated to other operators, impact on operational performance, rolling stock availability, and commercial risk and revenue implications.
The Office for Road and Rail, the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain's railways, has now rejected the proposal - citing a lack of capacity.
They said: "WSMR is of the view that there are nine 'unused' paths available on WCML(West Coast Mainline) South. We do not consider that these paths are 'unused' per se – while they are unoccupied in the timetable, they act as a buffer to a deterioration in performance, and it would not be possible to occupy these without worsening performance for all WCML users."
It was one of three applications being considered with others from Virgin for services between Manchester and London, and Lumo NW for services between Rochdale and the English capital.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's director of strategy, policy and reform, said: "After thorough assessment of each application, it was clear that there was insufficient capacity to approve any of the services without a serious negative impact on the level of train performance that passengers experience on the West Coast Main Line."
Sam Rowlands, Conservative Senedd member for North Wales, said: 'I am really disappointed to hear that plans for a three hour rail journey from Wrexham to London have been turned down. As the city continues to attract visitors from far and wide it really was essential that this sort of public transport is available.
'With the new Labour Government failing to commit to the last Conservative Government's planned investment in the North Wales mainline it was absolutely vital that everything possible is done to improve rail services for the people in my region.
'Not only would it have been great for residents but it was also be another way of encouraging visitors to visit Wrexham and the rest of North Wales.'
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Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
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Resident Mohamed Miah suggested the borough had become "unrecognisable" in recent years. The 40-year-old, who runs the local taxi office, said: 'Bethnal Green, I was born and raised here. It's not like the old East End anymore. 'From when I was growing up to now, it's not recognisable anymore. 'This is the oldest cab office in Bethnal Green - our customers have moved out from here. 'There's a lot of drunken behaviour and people doing balloons, driving up and down in their cars all night. 'There's more CCTV on the road, so in that sense they are doing well. 'But everything has changed here man, it's not like the old school.' 18 Mohamed Miah said the area had become 'unrecognisable' Credit: Chris Eades 18 Some shops have been forced to shut along the high street Credit: Chris Eades 18 Market stall trader Aissa Derouiche told how tourists were rarely seen in the area Credit: Steve Bell Staff members at Trotters Jewellers, which has been on the high street for 35 years, added that the face of the high street had changed "to the extreme". They explained: "It's changed to the extreme, it's not like the old East End anymore. 'We're one of the most established businesses, but also one of the lasting few. "Of course, it's changed totally. It's not thriving at all and everything is stacked against you. It's changed to the extreme. It's not like the old East End anymore. Staff at Trotters Jewellers "Having a business here is a lot harder than it was 10 years ago for sure. 'We have shops in Liverpool Street and Hatton Garden, but we've noticed such a change, especially here. Not for the good.' Market stall trader Aissa Derouiche, told how tourists were no longer flocking to Bethnal Green, despite it being located just minutes from the popular Brick Lane area. The 55-year-old, who has worked on the street for 17 years, fumed: 'Everything has changed. "Some people left and businesses have suffered. Shops have closed and the place has changed for the worse. 'The community is close, but it has grown apart in recent years because people have left. 'Tourists have stopped coming to Bethnal Green in the last ten years which has had a huge impact on my business." Shamima Begum's fight to regain UK citizenship She married an Islamic State fighter soon after arriving in 2015 and went on to have three children. Her UK citizenship was stripped on national security grounds in 2019. In February 2020, a tribunal ruled that removing Ms Begum's citizenship was lawful because she was "a citizen of Bangladesh by descent". In 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that Ms Begum could not return to the UK to appeal the decision to remove her citizenship. Her lawyers challenged the removal of her citizenship at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission two years later. The commission agreed that there was a credible suspicion that Begum was a victim of trafficking and sexual exploitation, but it ruled this did not stand in the way of stripping her of British citizenship. That decision was upheld at the Court of Appeal in February 2024. Earlier this year, she lost an initial bid to take the case to the Supreme Court. Begum remains in a camp controlled by armed guards in northern Syria. Society has moved on since Shamima However, some locals claimed that Begum's name was no longer commonly heard around the area. Mohammed Ahmed, who works at his father's shop Continental Grocers, slammed the government's decision to strip her of her British citizenship. He said: "She is not a big deal around here anymore. 'Look, she fled to Syria. She was very young at the time. 'I think the decision to strip her of her citizenship was wrong. It's worse now because she has kids I wouldn't say I miss her. I am only missing out on a customer because she's not here Shop worker Mohammed Ahmed 'It's not the case that it's embarrassing for the community, but it doesn't ever get brought up. 'I wouldn't say I miss her. I didn't know her. 'I am only missing out on a customer because she's not here." Bangladeshi nationals Sharif Sarker and Chunki Akter hailed the east London town as a "home from home". 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'We feel at home here, we can speak our language and buy our food here.' Cab driver Reg Singh was four years old when he moved to Bethnal Green from India. The 71-year-old added: "It was a different scene then. 'It was a neighbourhood, people knew one another and it was a community we had here. It was wonderful. The East End way of life has changed because whatever community comes in, they bring their own way of life Black cab driver Reg Singh 'Over the past few years there have been big changes. 'It's changed because there's a different community in the area. "There's a more predominantly Bangladeshi and Muslim community. 'The East End way of life has changed because whatever community comes in, they bring their own way of life. 'I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I think it's good. That's just how it is.' 18 Residents have fumed at 'huge changes' in the area since Begum left Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 18 Local businesses are under threat and face closing up for good Credit: Chris Eades
Wales Online
4 hours ago
- Wales Online
Wimbledon ace's net worth way bigger than King Charles and David and Victoria Beckham combined
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