Work on Midlands Rail Hub set to begin after £123m funding injection

Work on the Midlands Rail Hub is set to begin after ministers provided an initial £123 million funding injection.

And Greater Birmingham business leaders hailed the move which will bring “massive economic and environmental benefits” to the region.

The project is part of the government’s plan to improve transport across the region, boosting the capacity and frequency of rail services for passengers while upgrading stations across the Midlands.

The government says more than 50 stations – covering seven-million people– will benefit from the plans, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.

The first phase of the Midlands Rail Hub will mean an additional train every hour in both directions between central Birmingham and locations such as Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham and Worcester.

More London to Birmingham services will be extended from Moor Street to Snow Hill station meaning the Chiltern line will also serve Birmingham’s Snow Hill business district.

In addition, Kings Norton station will be made more accessible, while platforms at Snow Hill, Moor Street, and Kings Norton stations will be upgraded.

Passengers will also have greater access to HS2 services via Curzon Street station, meaning easier travel across the country.

This first wave of funding will enable design work to begin on creating space for extra services.

This includes preparing detailed designs for the infrastructure improvements required, finalising operating plans for the new services, while continuing to move the rest of the programme forward.

Raj Kandola, director of external affairs at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “This is a landmark day in the history of the Midlands Rail Hub as the Government rubberstamped a major cash injection to bring the project to reality.

“With our region still reeling from the news that HS2 will be curtailed beyond Birmingham, this news will provide a major boost for the West Midlands and beyond.

“Delivering the Midlands Rail Hub will not only improve transport connectivity across the region as a whole but also provide massive economic and environmental benefits - a key pillar behind the Government's desire to Level Up the country.”

Andy Street, mayor of West Midlands and chair of the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE), said: “The Midlands Rail Hub will deliver a revolution in public transport for our region opening up more capacity on the routes in and out of central Birmingham which will allow us to run more services to more places both locally and nationally.

“Midlands Rail Hub will also provide an opportunity for us to open more new stations and lines across our network as well as deliver faster journey times into central Birmingham from the new Camp Hill line stations that are currently under construction at Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road.

“This investment will not only better connect communities to convenient and rapid public transport services but also attract further investment into our region, delivering jobs, growth and greater prosperity.”

Subject to future decisions, this first phase of the Rail Hub could be completed by the early 2030s.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said: “The Midlands Rail Hub will bring huge benefits to passengers in the region and beyond, so it’s great to be in Birmingham with Mayor Andy Street to kick start this important project.

“Today’s announcement is part of the government’s plan to invest in transport projects with reallocated HS2 funding, helping to grow the economy and better connect communities across the Midlands.”