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In 1849 plans again emerged for a line following this route, linking the still incomplete [[Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway]] (‘OW&W’) at a point south of Hartlebury to the Shrewsbury & Birmingham Railway’s projected branch at Madeley in Shropshire. The proposed Severn Valley Railway would provide a more direct route between the railway junction towns of Shrewsbury and Worcester than the alternative route via Hartlebury, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Wolverhampton and Wellington, and would also provide railway access to the coalfields of Highley and Alveley.
The Severn Valley Railway Company (‘SVRC’) was formed to build the railway. The first Engineer was Robert Nicholson, an associate of Robert Stephenson, who carried out the survey of the proposed route. Although nominally an independent company, the SVRC was closely associated with the OW&W. The Chairman and two other directors of the SVRC were on the Board of the OW&W, while OW&W Engineer [[John Fowler ]] would succeed Nicholson as Engineer of the SVRC in 1855.
Originally the proposal was for a line from south of Hartlebury to Coalbrookdale, but public meetings in October 1852 confirmed the opinion that the line should continue to Shreswbury. The first Severn Valley Railway Bill passed through Parliament and received Royal Assent in August 1853. This authorised the SVRC to raise £600,000 in shares and borrow up to £200,000 in addition.