Funding sign off for Camp Hill route

THE WEST Midlands Combined Authority has agreed to sign off on the final £20m of funding necessary to reopen the Camp Hill line south of Birmingham for passenger services. Approval for the WMCA’s £36m share of the £61m funding package was given on March 19, which means the stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell can reopen by the end of 2023. The Department for Transport is contributing £20m and the Birmingham City Council’s Clean Air Zone funds the remaining £5m.

Passenger services on the Camp Hill line were withdrawn during World War Two, although the route has remained open for freight and some long-distance InterCity services. Transport for West Midlands and Network Rail believe a service level of two trains per hour will suffice, making use of paths freed up on the Redditch – Lichfield Cross-City line, which is most likely to resume service at four trains per hour rather than the six before coronavirus struck. The TfWM also hopes to reinstate the Bordesley Chords in the future to allow trains to serve Birmingham’s Moor Street instead of the often congested Birmingham New Street.