Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)
I should like to present a petition to the House that has been ably worked on by the Shropshire Star and its editor, Mr Martin Wright. We have gathered more than 3,000 signatures on the importance of a direct service between Shrewsbury and London, our capital city. Shrewsbury is the only county town in England without a direct train service to London.
The petition states:
The Petition of residents of Shrewsbury and Shropshire,
Declares that the Petitioners are without a direct rail service to London from anywhere in the county, with Shrewsbury being the only mainland county town in England without such a service which is of real detriment to businesses and individuals travelling to the capital.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Department of Transport and Office for Rail regulation to work with Network Rail and the train operators to improve services on the west coast mainline and subsequently ensure a regular and direct service from Shrewsbury to London to be established as soon as possible.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
[P001218]