Rail Connections to London: Rural Towns

Peter Fortune Excerpts

Monday 23rd March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Julia Buckley]

My hon. Friend has made a powerful point about the need to visit these beautiful spots around the country.

A loop of the River Severn encircles our medieval town with a beating modern heart on the border with Wales. However, before all Members in the Chamber rush to book their weekend break to Shrewsbury, I must tell them that there is a slight problem: how can anyone get there from here? Shropshire is the only county in the UK without a direct train service to London.

[Peter Fortune (Bromley and Biggin Hill) (Con)]

The hon. Member is making an excellent speech, and I empathise with her, because communities in Biggin Hill in my constituency are also completely without a railway station. Although the distance to Biggin Hill is 12 miles as the crow flies, it takes an absolute age to get there. Does she agree that such communities need to be served by efficient bus services, which are just as important?