The Wrexham and Shropshire Railway Closure
Unfortunately Wrexham and Shropshire went out of business last week leaving cynics wondering whether that high level of customer service and its unprofitability might be connected.
A question for Wrexham and Shropshire's boss Adrian Shooter. Many a business leader faced with such bad news, would have hidden behind a written statement but he rearranged his diary to come live on You and Yours to explain publicly what went wrong.
What he told us was an interesting insight into rail privatisation and the subsequent benefits of competition. As part of the Virgin Trains franchise, Shooter's trains were not allowed to stop at Wolverhampton. Had they been able to do so, who knows, they might have allowed Wrexham and Shropshire to turn a profit. Two years and £13-million later, the service has been forced to close.
Those who have already bought tickets can use them on Arriva Trains Wales, London Midland, Virgin and Chiltern. Is it too much to hope travellers might receive an equally warm welcome to the one they'd been hoping for when they booked? Let us know your thoughts on the current state of the rail network.
Andrew Smith is the Editor of You and Yours, In Touch, Fact the Facts and The Media Show on BBC Radio 4.
Comment number 1.
At 16:46 4th Feb 2011, Mike Dempsey wrote:I was a regular user of the full Wrexham to Marylebone service, and fully agree with all the positive comments about it. I have never been a rail fan throughout my 40+ years working and travelling life, except for my journeys on W&S. I feel even more aggrieved when I hear that at least part of the reason for the closure is the usual half-hearted and less than competent job that our esteemed politicians made of the competition rules, as usual allowing the bigger and better connected organisations rail companies to keep innovative start-ups out of the picture.
A petition against the closure can be found at https://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/wrexhamandshropshire
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)