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.
Next Meeting NOT on 12 March
The next meeting has been cancelled and will not be held on Thursday 12 March The meeting is planned for April and we will advise when the date is known.
Refund conditions for some ticket types are changing from 1 April 2026
National Rail are changing refund conditions for some ticket types. They say that the changes will stop fraudulent claims for refunds on tickets that have been used for travel. This applies to: From 1 April 2026, if you have one of the above tickets and decide not to use it, you will have until 23:59 the day before it becomes valid to request a refund from the retailer who sold it to you. After that you will only be able to claim a refund if your train service has been delayed or cancelled. We will be ending the practice of […]
December 2025 timetables
The timetable was changed in December 2025. The full version is avaiaible on links above. We have made a conventient sheet just for the services on our line and you can find it here. There are no major changes or new services, but many times are changed by a few minutes.
Cheshire East’s Vision for Transport
Cheshire East Council is working to update the Local Transport Plan for the borough, and we would like you to share your views to inform the development of the plan. Based on the evidence that we have gathered so far, we have created a vision with emerging aims and priorities for the plan. However, this is just the start of the process – we now need you to let us know whether you think we are on the right lines. Your feedback will help us refine and prioritise our plans to match the needs of the people that matter most – […]
‘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 […]
Older News Archive
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/
News on TfW rolling stock
In the October issue of Modern Railways there is some information on the TfW rolling stock. It is reported that: Class 197s 77 units on order, 32 units accepted by early September, ongoing into service one per week Class 153 30 in fleet, 26 in service, 13 to be retained long term for HoW etc Class 150 38 units in service, all to leave by mid 2025, including 2 from Northern. Class 158 24 units in fleet, all in service Class 175 27 units (2 and 3 cars) 17 in service, all to go by end 2023 Mk4 and 67 […]
Disruption w/c 25 September 2023
Please be aware of changes to the TfW timetable this week. These are as a result of track maintenance south of Shrewsbury, where single line working will take place. This all has a knock on effect of the through trains from Manchester to Wales and the west. Many of these will run fast both ways from Crewe and Shrewsbury, and others have reduced stops. One of the morning commuter services northbound is a bus replacement. It appears that the shuttle will run as normal. There is no information on the TfW web site on this and we have made a […]
Class 197 in revenue service
We have seen Class 197s in revenue earning service today on the Shrewsbury Crewe section. A three car unit operated the shuttle all day and then a 2×2 car unit operated a Cardiff Manchester diagram. Lets us hope this is not a one off. TfW may have entered a new phase.
Timetable change 22nd May
Alongside all other operators, TfW will be making changes to the timetables. For our line the changes are very minor. For weekdays: Ex Shrewsbury 1956 was 1950 fast to Crewe 2035 was 2033 all stations 2207 was 2208.all stations Ex Crewe 0558 was 0557 all stations 0920 was 0910 all stations 2318 was 2314 all stations Northbound The pinch point of the morning northbound commuting connection at Crewe remains intact. (arrives 06.15 leaves 0629) Southbound The important connection remains intact at Crewe at arriving 1710 leaves 1719, The last train from Manchester (2235) is the same. The Friday only change […]
Cheshire Station Award for NiB team
We understand that the Nantwich in Bloom (NiB) team have just been awarded the Best Kept Garden Award for their work at the station. The station adopter team are all volenteers, and they receive support from Transport for Wales. Well done, it looks beautiful and is much appreciated.
Class 175s needing maintenance
The Class 175s have been the mainstay of long distance services from Manchester to South Wales for a very long time. The plan is that they are phased out in mid 2023, replaced with the new Class 197s. However the gremlins have struck. Following three “thermal events” in quick succession, TfW has taken the bulk of the units out of service since early March pending inspection.”Thermal event” means a fire, in this case in the engine compartment. We see reports that the problem is a build up of debris. But it is taking time to get the inspection of the […]
