Transport

Heidi Alexander Excerpts

Thursday 11th December 2025 Written Corrections

[Mark Pritchard]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way—she knows I am a huge fan. In that spirit of solidarity, will she join me in supporting the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway company’s bid to the Office of Rail and Road for a new service into Shropshire, stopping at important market towns such as Wellington in my constituency? Does she accept that it is not just the big cities and urban centres but rural market towns that need to be included on timetables?

[Heidi Alexander]

Decisions about open access services, under the current model, are for the Office of Rail and Road to take. Network Rail supported the service that the right hon. Gentleman mentions, but the Office of Rail and Road took a different decision.

[Official Report, 9 December 2025; Vol. 777, c. 207.]

Written correction submitted by the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Swindon South (Heidi Alexander):

[Heidi Alexander]

Decisions about open access services, under the current model, are for the Office of Rail and Road to take. The Department for Transport supported the service that the right hon. Gentleman mentions, but the Office of Rail and Road took a different decision.