Stuart Anderson MP has accused the government of sidelining train services in South Shropshire, as it pushes ahead with its reforms to Britain's railways.
The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act ushers in a "phased programme of public ownership." Ministers have announced that half of rail operators have now fallen into public ownership.
Rail passenger contracts have automatically fallen into public ownership when they have lapsed. The transfer of passenger services is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
The latest transfer, of Greater Anglia on 12th October 2025, means that publicly owned operators are now responsible for a third of the country's rail journeys.
Further legislation will see Great British Railways become responsible for everything from setting timetables to maintaining infrastructure.
However, evidence has been prepared for Church Stretton Town Council on how the reforms will affect local services. It warns that they will "negatively impact" local communities such as Church Stretton and Ludlow.
The report adds that there is a "clear risk" that stations along the Welsh Marches, including Church Stretton and Ludlow, will suffer from being marginalised by the changes.
The reforms are designed to integrate 'track and train' as part of what is often referred to as 'vertical integration' with Network Rail, which owns the track on which these services run.
Ministers have insisted that this will make the railway more "accountable, efficient, and reliable for passengers." However, Rail Partners, which represents private train operators, has warned that it will increase costs for the taxpayer.
Now, Stuart has raised concerns that South Shropshire will lose out because services that are run by open access operators, devolved governments, and local authorities are not included in the integration plans.
It means that excluded operators will remain outside Great British Railways, while the track they operate over is included. The report states:
"GBR has been conceived purely as an evolution within DfT’s current area of direct responsibility. Operators not contracted by the DfT will remain outside the GBR, while the track they operate over will remain under the control of the DfT. This undermines the ability to simplify, as non-GBR operators will still need to navigate complex track access rights and charges and necessitating ongoing performance and revenue allocation."
By contrast, the previous government, which instigated rail reforms, had promised a "joint working agreement" between Transport for Wales and Great British Railways.
In May 2021, the government said that the agreement would explore how to improve the rail offer for passengers and freight customers in the connected network between Wales, the West Midlands, and the West of England.
The Williams-Shapps White Paper stated:
"A joint working agreement between Transport for Wales and Great British Railways will be explored to improve the rail offer for passengers and freight customers in the connected network between Wales, the West Midlands and the West of England. This agreement would need to be negotiated between the UK and Welsh governments, building on existing Wales and Borders agreements for rail services."
However, the current government has not made any announcements on this topic. They have instead stated that these operators will "remain responsible" for setting fares for services that they operate.
This includes services run by Transport for Wales, such as Church Stretton and Ludlow in South Shropshire. As a result, the Welsh Marches is expected to be excluded while other services - mostly in the South East - benefit.
Ministers are expected to table legislation for the creation of Great British Railways in the coming weeks and months. Ahead of this, Stuart has urged Ministers to use the opportunity to set out how excluded operators can benefit.
Stuart has launched the campaign as part of his plan to unleash rural prosperity and attract investment for infrastructure in South Shropshire. As part of this, Stuart wants to strengthen the local transport network.
These priorities respond to research from the Country Land and Business Association, which has shown the rural economy is 16% less productive than the national average.
On average, productivity, earnings, and ease of access to further education are all lower in rural areas than urban ones. Closing these gaps could add up to £43 billion to the Gross Value Added (GVA) of England alone.
Stuart's intervention also responds to the Union Connectivity Review, which made the case for improved investment in the Welsh Marches. It reflected the fact that 76,000 people cross from Wales to England for work on a daily basis.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"Every day, almost a hundred thousand people travel between England and Wales for work. The Union Connectivity Review made the case for improved investment in the area known as the Welsh Marches. This would help to unleash rural prosperity. As part of this, rail reforms had great potential to end fragmentation and deliver more reliable services with simpler tickets. Given this situation, I am greatly concerned that the government's plans could instead marginalise train services in the Welsh Marches, like Church Stretton and Ludlow The last government had pledged to deliver a joint working agreement with Wales, which operates much of this line. Regrettably, the current government does not appear to have not made any visible progress on this. Ahead of any further legislation being introduced, I have invited Ministers to meet with me and Church Stretton Town Council to discuss these concerns."
Mayor Andy Munro said:
“The priority of TfW continues to be connecting north and south Wales at the cost of intermediate stations in Shropshire. Improving journey times for their premium service is achieved by removing station stops which severely degraded the service in Shropshire. An agreement between Westminster and Cardiff is essential to ensure rail services in England are maintained for the benefit of both residents and tourists.“
