LANCASHIRE dialect has some very good expressions for the way central government treats Shropshire.

Nowt means absolutely nothing!

Nowt applies to many aspects of life but for today I want to talk trains.

It is hard to believe that we are living in “austerity world” when billions are swilling around for HS2 (a £56 billion railway to help to speed up travel from London to Birmingham), Cross Rail (a £15 billion railway for London), loads of new trains are being built for the East Coast Main line, Scotland is getting a fleet of new trains (Class 385s) and the Paddington–Cardiff line is being electrified.

Oxfordshire is to get new trains which is good news for the constituents of the former Prime Minister, David Cameron.

Shropshire gets Nowt.

We have an antiquated double-track railway with ancient signalling.

We have dirty diesel trains that pollute and spew out greenhouse gases and Arriva Trains Wales delights in reducing carriages from three to two so we can bond with sardines when we open the tin.

Ludlow does not have a bus station, Church Stretton station never sees a bus, Craven Arms, Ludlow and Church Stretton stations do not have lifts to help those with heavy luggage or those with mobility problems.

It would be good to see our pampered government ministers struggling over the Ludlow footbridge with a push chair, small children and luggage.

The message is very clear.

Shropshire is a backwater and an irrelevance and we are left to struggle with old worn-out trains, signals and tracks while south-east England, Scotland and the east coast gets a 21st century rail system.

This is as wrong as it is insulting so, just in case anyone in London has got a few seconds to think about Shropshire, this is what we want and we want it now.

We want a modern 21st century electrified railway with the latest in-cab signalling technology.

We want new rolling stock that is smooth, efficient, quiet, non-polluting and because it has excellent acceleration and braking technology (and generates its own electricity while braking) it can stop at every station between Hereford and Shrewsbury and still do better journey times than now.

The trains will have large windows and comfortable seats and will never be overcrowded.

Finally, I need to know the Shropshire dialect word for “Nowt” because we will need to use it a lot in the next 10 years.