Investment of tens of millions of pounds to double the frequency of passenger services on the Wrexham- Bidston Borderlands line is delivering no public benefit because of an industry wrangle over whether capacity should be prioritised for freight or passenger services.

The Welsh Government made a public commitment to a two trains per hour (2tph) service on the line in 2018. On Network Rail’s advice, the additional hourly service was planned to omit many of the stations along the line, which crosses the England-Wales border roughly at its midpoint. The Welsh Government spent £25m buying five trains for the line, and Network Rail secured £2m of DfT funding to improve safety at level crossings. Money was also spent on depot facilities and timetable development.