Shropshire: Oswestry railway station speculation is ‘wrong’
Helen Morgan MP, with Rob Williams, chairman of the Cambrian Heritage Railway (CHR) which is the voluntary group overseeing the bid to reopen the line that would connect Oswestry to the mainline have all responded to the speculation.
Their responses came after a post appeared on Ask Oswestry, a Facebook group concerned with the town, stating that funding for the project – which was to be taken from the abandoned HS2 money – would be used to pay for a new cycle lane between Gobowen station the CHR building in Oswald Road.
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However, Mrs Morgan vehemently denied the suggestion that the project was being pulled by the Department for Transport (DfT).
“There is no truth at all to the rumour that the Oswestry to Gobowen line is being scrapped,” she said.
“Network Rail are proceeding with plans at pace, and I’m in regular contact with the Department for Transport to make sure Oswestry is firmly on the agenda.
“Reconnecting Oswestry to the mainline will be a huge economic boost to the town, creating opportunities for young people and bringing investment onto the high street.
“I’m really pleased that proposals are moving at full steam ahead.”
Mr Williams, on behalf of CHR, added: “The key stakeholders are in regular contact with progress being made and there has been no suggestion of the projects cancellation from the DFT.”
The government has confirmed the current situation is to proceed with the project.
A DfT spokesperson said: “Restoring railways drives tourism, boosts local businesses and encourages investment to the region.
"As part of our Network North plan, we’ve committed to restoring the Oswestry to Gobowen line and more details will be announced in due course.”
Simon Baynes, the Conservative candidate for North Shropshire at the next General Election and also the current Clwyd South MP with two railways stations in his constituency, added he had spoken to the DfT for confirmation.
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The project has split opinion in the town, with some calling for its restoration in order to re-connect Oswestry to the mainline and trains to Cardiff, Wrexham and Liverpool.
However, some are calling for the money to be used to create a better shuttle bus operation that could take passengers from Oswestry to Gobowen.
The DfT has been approached for comment.
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