Alstom plans to launch new passenger rail service in UK

(Reuters) - French train maker Alstom on Thursday said it plans to start operating its own passenger rail service across England and Wales from 2025.

The company said it was partnering with consultancy SLC Rail to form a rail service between North Wales, Shropshire, the Midlands and London.

An application would be submitted to Britain's Office of Rail and Road on Thursday, Alstom said, adding that it was aiming to launch the service as early as 2025.

"As the country’s leading supplier of rolling stock and train services, it makes perfect sense that we now move into operating our own fleet to serve passengers directly," the maker of France's TGV trains added.

The rail service, which will be called Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR), envisages five trains per day in each direction running from Monday to Saturday, and four running on Sundays.

It would serve an estimated 1.5 million people outside London, Alstom said, adding the project will create around 50 jobs.

"In the West Midlands, WSMR trains will avoid Birmingham – one of the most complex and congested parts of the British rail network – by utilising the Sutton Park line, which is currently only used for freight services," the company added.

(Reporting by Olivier Sorgho; editing by Jason Neely and Edwina Gibbs)