£2bn rail hub plan
Transport bosses call on Whitehall to back plan for new infrastructure and services
WEST Midlands transport chiefs have taken the fight for greater regional investment to Westminster after outlining £2 billion of rail improvements in Birmingham and the wider Midlands.
Central to the proposals are plans for 20 new train services per hour to and from Birmingham Moor Street station.
Called the “Midlands Rail Hub”, the report outlines 15 pieces of new or improved infrastructure to be built across the Midlands to enable 24 extra passenger trains every hour on the regional network, reduce journey times and grow the economy by bringing the East and West Midlands closer together.
A so-called strategic outline
business case has been submitted to the Government by transport body Midlands Connect in partnership with Network Rail and other organisations including councils, the combined authority, HS2 and Birmingham Airport.
The work would be carried out in phases between 2024 and 2033.
Midlands Connect said that in the past two years rail usage in the Midlands had grown faster than anywhere in the UK – and by 121 per cent over the past decade in the West Midlands.
But the transport body claims the car still dominates journeys between West and East Midlands, with only 13 per cent done by train between Birmingham and Leicester, 18 per cent between Birmingham and Nottingham and 22 per cent between Birmingham and Derby.
Initial concept designs for the revamp of Moor Street were revealed in March with plans for a “One Station” concept, which would link the site seamlessly with New Street station and the new HS2 terminal.
Midlands Connect chairman Sir John Peace said: “The Midlands Rail Hub is a cost-effective, evidence-led plan to upgrade our Victorian infrastructure to meet the demands of the future.
“These proposals capture the enormous economic potential of the
Midlands, with 320,000 new jobs estimated by 2030, mainly in professional services firms who depend on good rail connectivity to attract skilled workers.
“This investment must happen alongside delivering HS2 in its entirety, from the West Midlands to the East Midlands and on to the north of England.
“The next Prime Minister must not ignore the Midlands, the ten million people who live here or our £220 billion annual contribution to the UK economy.
“Now is the time for the Government to prove to the Midlands it’s listening to us.”
Following the submission of the report to the Department for Transport, Midlands Connect has requested an additional £25 million to bring the project to outline business case stage of development.