Wrexham to Euston

London Euston to Wrexham Open Access Service Proposed

Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway Company Ltd has begun the pan-industry consultation process with a view to reintroducing open access services between Wrexham and London, with five trains per day in each direction on Monday to Saturday and four in each direction on Sundays.

The proposed route would see services utilise the current freight-only Sutton Park line and call at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Darlaston, Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes on its journey between Wrexham General and London Euston. The route is as follows.

WSMR is backed by SLC Rail and has no link to Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone Railway who ran open access services between Wrexham and London Marylebone from 2008 to 2011. A formal application for paths with the Office of Rail & Road would be placed in early 2024.

The intention is to operate the service using Class 22x diesel trainsets and its proposal refers to East Midlands Railway’s Class 222 fleet which will be replaced by new Class 810 Aurora bi-mode trains from 2024. It states that it would significantly modify the trainsets to reduce emissions.

WSMR has based its timetable on the December 2023 timetable. However, there is no mention of the proposed local two trains per hour service calling at the new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston and how that may affect the proposed timetable. The proposed Monday to Friday timetable is as follows.

WSMR claims that it will provide a better experience for passengers. A simple and competitive fare structure would be offered, augmented by a loyalty scheme. Hot and cold food and drink would be provided, making use of the galley/kitchen area already available in the first class driving car on Class 22x trainsets. It also claims that seating would be comparatively more generous than existing inter-city rolling stock, offering additional tables, improved leg room and better access for disabled and older generation customers.

It will be interesting to follow this proposal over the coming months and years. It certainly offers new through journey opportunities to London from stations such as Darlaston, Walsall and Coleshill Parkway as well as new cross-Midlands connections such as Wolverhampton to Nuneaton.