Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the planned direct rail service from Shrewsbury to London submitted by Network Rail and Virgin trains to the Office of Rail Regulation.

We recognise the very strong local support for the introduction of a direct rail service between Shrewsbury and London. Discussions with Virgin Trains to negotiate a further franchise through to April 2017 are currently taking place. As part of these discussions officials have engaged with Virgin Trains to find the most appropriate way of securing a direct train service to Shrewsbury that is financially viable and a service that passengers find useful. We continue to take a very close interest in this matter.