Four-day line closure to prepare for Commonwealth Games

Sections of the railway line between Birmingham Moor Street and Solihull stations will be closed for four days in June, to enable crucial engineering work in preparation for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The £3 million project requires Network Rail’s engineers to overhaul switches and crossings, moving parts of track which enable trains from the Tyseley maintenance depot to access and leave the rail network. It is an important site for three train operators - West Midlands Railway, CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways.

The range of work to be carried out will include:

Installing new rails, sleepers and ballast.

Stressing rails to cope better with hot weather.

Removing overgrown plants and graffiti.

Carrying out a deep clean of Birmingham Moor Street station.

With the Games (July 28-August 8) expected to attract an extra one million passengers to the West Midlands, NR is keen to avoid any issues at the depot that could lead to a risk of incidents of overcrowding at the stations serving sports venues.

The upgrades mean there will be no through train services between Solihull, Birmingham Moor Street and Snow Hill between Monday June 20 and Thursday June 23. It will be the first time in a generation that this part of the Chiltern Main Line will be completely shut for large-scale work.

Replacement bus services will operate during the closure, and passengers are advised to plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Network Rail Central Route Director Denise Wetton said: “We know there’s never an ideal time to close the railway, and a midweek closure for work like this is rare, but postpandemic passenger numbers show weekdays are now the least disruptive time to close the railway for vital work.”

Chiltern Railways Commercial & Customer Strategy Director Eleni Jordan and West Midlands Railway’s Customer Experience Director Jonny Wiseman explained that their respective companies will be regularly communicating plans for rail replacement transport in and out of Birmingham, and asked customers to check their websites or apps before travelling.