Next Meeting on 16 January
The next meeting will be held on Thursday 16 January at 7pm at the Castle Hotel Wem. The meeting is timed so that you can get there and back by train. Please let us know you are coming on contact_us@caspa.org.uk
Who we are
CASPA is the passenger association covering the stations of Crewe to Shrewsbury including the intermediate stations at Nantwich, Wrenbury, Whitchurch, Prees, Wem and Yorton. The Association aims to promote, encourage and improve the use of the rail services in this route. The Association is open to all members of the public, and we welcome new members at any time. We meet regularly for meetings in Shrewsbury and also with Transport for Wales to share our views on necessary changes and improvements to rail services and stations along the line.
New TfW timetable on 15 December 2024
TFW will introduce new timetables on 15 December 2024. The basic structure of the timetable remains the same but there are many small changes to the times, and it is important to check with their timetables before travel. TfW told us this month that they intend to employ loco hauled coaches between Manchester and Cardiff on a two hourly service. Also we are to expect 3 and 5 car services on the other intercity services. TfW unhelpfully say: There will be some changes to the calling patterns of some of the services along this route and many services have been […]
‘What has Privatisation done for us? – 30 years on’
We draw your attention to a forthcoming meeting of the Shropshire Railway Society: ‘What has Privatisation done for us? – 30 years on’ 10 October 2024 The speaker is Modern Railways magazine contributor, Ian Walmsley. After a long career in the railway industry, Ian writes the monthly ‘Pan-up’ column, providing expert comment on rolling stock and other topical issues. Expect him to be harsh on the humbug and hype which pervade the privatised railway, but happy to recognise where service and services have been improved. It promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking meeting. Our meetings are held at the Gateway Centre, Chester St, Shrewsbury […]
TfW has issued its Future Timetable Report
They say this follows comprehensive review of its rail timetables. The full report can be viewed here. The new timeatables in excel format are here: Cardiff_to_Chester_and_Manchester_SX Dec 2024 Cardiff_to_Chester_and_Manchester_SO Dec 2024 Manchester_and_Chester_to_Cardiff_SX Dec 2024 Manchester_and_Chester_to_Cardiff_SO Dec 2024 We are assuming for the moment that Sunday trains, such as they are are unchanged. We will have a look in the coming days an dsee what the changes are Monday to Saturday. TfW unhelpfully say nothing about our line, so we are not anticipating much.. TfW say: The review’s aim was to ensure that the timetables best meet the demands of […]
Nantwich station shelters unveiled
New “arty” railway station shelters unveiled in Nantwich
TfW report on new trains entering service
We see a report in June from TfW about new trains coming to service. This is a report on all TfW services and not just our line. You can see it here: https://news.tfw.wales/blog/cyflwyno-ein-trenau-newydd-cwestiynau-cyffredin There are no surprises here. 175s are gone and 150s are going as they come up for major repiars. The new 197s are coming into service and they are promising to run South Wales-Manchester services to five carriages on every train in the next year. Most trains have been either two or three carriages for many years.The loco hauled mk4 coach trains are getting more reliable.
New timetables for June 2024
TfW timetables are changing from Sunday 2 June so please check before you travel. An overview of the most significant changes can be found on TfW web site here For us the change identified is 21:55 Cardiff – Crewe (Friday only) will now terminate Shrewsbury. With an additional service 00:17 Shrewsbury – Crewe. The new timetable booklet download is here: New timetables for June 2024
Line closure Saturday 25th May to Monday 27th May
The Crewe to Shrewsbury line is closed from Sat 25th May to Mon 27th May (inclusive) over the next Bank Holiday weekend with rail replacement services and diversions in place. Normal service will resume on Tues 28th May. Nantwich News reports the details here: https://thenantwichnews.co.uk/2024/05/17/rail-passengers-in-nantwich-warned-of-bank-holiday-disruption/
TfW user group meeting April 24
We attended a user group session with TfW in April. It was a three hour marathon with many senior reps there. They handled many questions via the chat system and most things got covered. They committed to going back to answer other points. Some speakers were very clear and readily understood. Others mumbled through their bit clearly not suited for public facing. This was a national event so there was a lot of local stuff being injected, but TfW handled it well. At the end there were break out sessions by region, and we were able to get a few […]
Class 175 withdrawn
We see that TfW has sent the Class 175 units off hire from mid October 2023. They are returned to their owner Angel Trains for redeployment. Some have gone to Ilford, and others are in store in Wales. Their future is uncertain. Angel Trains promotion is here: https://angeltrains.co.uk/fleet/class-175/