The Office of Rail & Road (ORR) rejected new train service applications for the West Coast Main Line on October 8, 2026, citing insufficient capacity and risks to operational performance. Applications from Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR), FirstGroup’s Lumo NW, and Avanti West Coast aimed to launch passenger services from London Euston to Wrexham, Rochdale, and Blackpool but were refused due to these constraints.
Details of Proposed Services
WSMR sought permission for five daily return services between Wrexham General and London Euston. Lumo NW proposed up to four return trains on weekdays and Saturdays and three on Sundays running between Rochdale and London
Euston. Avanti West Coast planned additional services linking Blackpool with London Euston, supplementing their existing operations on the route.
Network Rail’s Stance and Legal Context
Network Rail did not support Lumo NW and WSMR’s applications, raising capacity concerns surrounding their impact on the network. It also flagged issues regarding the Avanti West Coast application. Due to an inability to reach joint application agreements with Network Rail, the companies submitted their requests under Sections 17 and 22A of the Railways Act 1993. ORR’s ruling followed after a similar set of proposals were rejected in July 2025, with an external review reaffirming that no material capacity improvements have
since occurred.
Official Statements on Capacity and Performance
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s Director of Strategy, Policy & Reform, highlighted that the West Coast Main Line is heavily used and currently lacks schedule resilience. She stated, “Our detailed analysis has shown that adding more trains to the current timetable would reduce the ability to recover when disruption occurs, increasing the risk of delays spreading and making reliability of the network worse for all passengers.” The regulator emphasized that economic arguments were secondary to concerns over network capacity and performance, although it continues to support open access principles to promote rail competition.
Reactions From Operators and Local Stakeholders
WSMR expressed disappointment, noting their application had
strong local backing and had aimed to connect communities in North Wales, the Midlands, and London with educational, leisure, and work opportunities. Shrewsbury Labour MP Julia Buckley, whose petition supporting WSMR’s service gathered 10,000 signatures by June 2026, described the decision as a setback but affirmed ongoing campaigning efforts. She cited a projected regional economic benefit of around £9 million annually from the direct London service.
FirstGroup, Lumo’s parent company, said it was reviewing its options after amending its proposal post-feedback, believing their plan offered competitive benefits including lower fares and enhanced growth potential across Manchester and northwest England. Avanti
West Coast declined to comment, referring to ORR’s official letter.
Traveler Impact and Approved Services
Due to the rejection, no new passenger services on the West Coast Main Line will start as planned from London to Wrexham, Rochdale, or Blackpool. The regulator approved Avanti West Coast’s existing 19:29 weekday service from Chester to London Euston for passenger use, noting it operates as a fully crewed empty move and adds no new train paths. This approval maintains passenger benefits without increasing train numbers on the already congested corridor.
