In a major milestone, Government has pledged to invest in the transformational scheme.
The scheme will add up to 300 additional trains on the rail network per day into or out of Birmingham and provide faster, more frequent or new rail links for over 50 locations including: Nottingham, Leicester, Bromsgrove, Nuneaton, Worcester, Hereford and Cardiff.
Midlands Rail Hub will build two ‘chords’ at Bordesley, just east of Birmingham City Centre, as well as 10+ engineering interventions throughout the region – allowing us to offer up to 20 million extra seats for passengers through the Midlands and beyond.
The West Chord: consists of improvements between Bordesley and Moor Street, allowing access to Birmingham Moor Street from South- West and Wales, allowing additional trains towards Worcester, Hereford, Bristol and Cardiff.
The East Chord: creates an access to Birmingham Moor Street from the East Midlands, allowing direct access for trains from cities such as Leicester, Derby and Nottingham.
What are the benefits?
More rail journeys: 20m additional rail seats per year, with 300 extra trains in or out of Birmingham every day
Shorter journey times: for lines from Birmingham to places like Worcester, Cardiff and Hereford
Boost economic growth: for every pound we invest, we generate over £1.50 in benefits, inclusive of those to the wider economy
Safeguard jobs: Over 300+ apprenticeships will be created, along with 13,000 jobs created as part of the supply chain
Environmentally friendly: Each parcel or person moved by rail instead of by diesel/petrol vehicle creates 76% less CO2
Supporting housing: supporting more than 20,000 new homes built every year
Midlands Connect’s flagship scheme, a transformational rail improvement which will benefit 7 million people across the region, has been given the green light.
Midlands Rail Hub is a blueprint for faster, better and more frequent connections across the Midlands.
Two new ‘chords’ and 10+ engineering interventions throughout the region will allow more than 20 million extra seats for passengers and up to 300 extra trains every day.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves, highlighted the scheme in her Comprehensive Spending Review in June. Today’s announcement goes beyond this, providing the capital investment needed to make it a reality.
Maria Machancoses, Chief Executive of Midlands Connect said: “This is a breakthrough moment for our region, one which will led to a fundamental shift in opportunities and investment, and we will see growth in jobs, housing and in our economy as a direct result.
“We are beyond thrilled to welcome this Government commitment, and it is a testament to the determination of our mayors, leaders, MPs and partners across the region who have championed this scheme.
“Midlands Rail Hub is a once-in-a-generation chance to change our collective future for the better.”
The scale of this announcement is a huge step forward in delivering the overall ambition of Midlands Rail Hub – to boost frequency and capacity to as many places as possible across the region.
It is a vote of confidence in a project which is expected to create nearly 13,000 construction jobs and serve up to 50 stations and destinations across the Midlands and beyond.
Thanks to the work of the co-sponsor partners involved – Midlands Connect, the Department for Transport, Network Rail and West Midlands Rail Executive, it will progress to Full Business Case completion in 2028, with parts of the scheme entering into service in the early 2030s.
