Boost for Castle Brom station further down the line
A NEW rail station that would bring trains to a Solihull suburb for the first time since the 1960s has been hailed as a “real boon” for residents.
A £1 million cash boost has been granted to progress plans for three new rail stations in the West Midlands, set for Castle Bromwich, Coventry East and Tettenhall in Wolverhampton, as reported in the Post.
The funding is being used to develop proposals for all three stations, and if approved, the Castle Bromwich site could transform how those living in the south of the borough would travel into Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.
It is a step forward to seeing Castle Bromwich station becoming operational after a feasibility study from the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) concluded that a new station could provide much-needed improvement to public transport for the area.
Solihull Council leader Cllr Ian Courts said the fresh rail service would be a “real boon for everyone living in Castle Bromwich and the surrounding areas.”
He added that if it goes ahead, the new station would connect the north and south of Solihull, as well as towards the East Midlands.
He said: “I was very pleased to read the news that funding has been granted to develop proposals to open a new railway station in Castle Bromwich.
“The area hasn’t had a station since the pre-Beeching cuts days in the mid 1960s so this would be a real boon for everyone living in Castle Bromwich and the surrounding areas, providing vital links with neighbouring Birmingham and off towards Leicester and Nottingham
in the East Midlands, giving access to jobs and opportunities for residents.
“The council’s transport strategy, Solihull Connected, outlines our commitment to delivering better connectivity for everyone in Solihull, and particularly to creating and improving links between the north and south of the borough and the north of the borough and Birmingham.
“We’ll be working hard to ensure this project, and others, bring maximum benefit to local residents.”
The proposed station development funding is from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) awarded to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) by the Department for Transport.
Each of the potential new stations would be located on existing railway lines and in areas with an absence of rapid public transport links.
The rail executive added that some of the stations would be in areas with high levels of deprivation.
Castle Bromwich is on the line between Birmingham and Leicester/ Nottingham, and would restore a station which was closed in 1968.
Coventry East would be on the line linking Coventry and Rugby, and Tettenhall would be located on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury line.
In Birmingham, work continues to get the city’s Camp Hill line up and running by the end of 2024, which would be a year later than the first proposed deadline.
Three stations, Kings Heath, Pineapple Road, and Moseley Village, are currently under construction and getting ready for the long-awaited return of passenger rail services to that part of south Birmingham after several decades.