The trains that would link Gobowen and Oswestry.
Oswestry's mayor has assured a railway group trying to connect the town to the national network that he will write a supporting letter for funding. Roger Date, chairman of the Cambrian Heritage Railways (CHR), appeared before Oswestry's full town council meeting in February to both provide an update and ask for the letter of support.
Mr Date told councillors of the undertaken so far to connect Gobowen station with the Orthopaedic Hospital and further plans to connect to Park Hall, but added that funding is now being sought to take the trains under the A5 into Oswestry.
He said: "I am here to request support for the ongoing CHR project to link the town with Gobowen and national rail. CRH has acquired the land needed for the project and all the track work is secure, either in our control through a long lease off Shropshire Council or our own freehold. The first stage is ready to go and would be around £1.5m for a small light train for Gobowen to the hospital and eventually into Oswestry. We’re not talking great infrastructure or costs, around £1.8m, but we'd have to look at the A5 crossing and the idea is to put the railway under the road. Part of our reasons for wanting the money is to do the feasibility study with engineers to take it under the bypass.
"It’s not a ‘showstopper’ but it’s something we want to investigate, he said. "A letter of support from yourselves, along with others such as Shropshire Council and the hospital, would help our applications. It’s been a number of years but the town, the economy of the town and the residents need this and I’m asking for a simple letter of support – no money."
Councillor Duncan Kerr, mayor, said: "You have my assurances that there will be a letter of support."
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