Birmingham MPs and met with Midlands Connect
and other rail chiefs at Kings Norton station to discuss how
plans for the Midlands Rail Hub could benefit their
constituencies. The MPs for Birmingham Selly Oak and Birmingham
Northfield were told that local stations, including Kings Norton,
will see a train every ten minutes on the Cross City line,
boosting connectivity in Birmingham.
As part of the Midlands Rail Hub, trains to Longbridge,
Northfield, Kings Norton, Bournville and Selly Oak will
create a ‘turn up and go' London-style service and create 5
million extra seats every year.
As part of the project, Kings Norton station will be
upgraded, and the currently derelict island platform will be
re-instated. The station's accessibility will also be
upgraded and a brand-new footbridge connecting all platforms will
be installed.
Al and Laurence were given a tour of the station and discussed
the plans with rail bosses. The Midlands Rail Hub is the
flagship scheme of Midlands Connect and when delivered in full,
the Hub will see services on several routes increase by between
50% and 100%. At the event, they were joined by Network
Rail's Central Route Director Denise Wetton and Jamie
Ainsworth, Health, Safety, Security & Environment Director at
West Midlands Railway.
Midlands Rail Hub will also deliver quicker journeys into central
Birmingham for the forthcoming two train per hour Camp Hill line
service from Kings Norton to New Street via the new stations
currently under construction at Pineapple Road, Kings Heath and
Moseley Village. The project allows the Camp Hill services to run
into Birmingham Moor St, which is a shorter route and provides
better access to future HS2 services at Curzon Street.
At the meeting, Midlands Connect, MP and MP were also joined by
representatives from West Midlands Rail Executive led by Toby
Rackliff which is sponsoring the construction of the new Camp
Hill Line stations and is a partner in the Midlands Rail Hub
project.
The project will also deliver a jobs boost as over the course of
the project, more than 12,750 roles are expected to result from
the Midlands Rail Hub programme.
Last year, the previous Government committed to ‘full' delivery
of the Midlands Rail Hub, and in February this year, an
additional £123m was allocated towards the project, to progress
the detailed engineering designs.
Mike Bull, Programme Director of Midlands
Connect, said:
“Creating a service every ten minutes for thousands of passengers
in Birmingham is a key part of the Midlands Rail Hub. It will
make commuting easier and create a turn-up-and-go line. We can do
this due to the extra capacity that the Midlands Rail Hub
creates.
“It was great to meet Al and Laurence and brief them on the plans
and show them how our work will deliver real benefits for their
areas and their constituents. We are working at pace to finish
the Full Business Case and deliver these much-needed upgrades to
Kings Norton, which is at the heart of the Midlands Rail Hub
project.
“I look forward to working with Laurence and Al in the months and
years ahead to deliver this vital scheme for the region."
, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, said:
"These plans are a fantastic opportunity to boost connectivity on
one of our key local railway lines. The proposed new timetable
will undoubtedly improve public transport connectivity in the
communities served by the Cross City line. The current offer is
inadequate for local people and businesses to see the railway as
a viable alternative to the car. Better transport links mean more
opportunities to level up the economic and social life of our
local communities. I am thrilled to see this investment in
upgrading Kings Norton station and in our local commuter routes
such as the Cross City line, and I know current and future users
will benefit hugely from a better rail service on the line.”
, MP for Birmingham
Northfield said:
"Today's announcement is welcome news for Kings Norton. The new
proposed timetable will bring the much-needed reliability and
frequency that residents have needed for many years.
"These plans to upgrade Kings Norton station and reinstate its
disused platforms signal exactly the right ambitions for
investment in public transport in south Birmingham and will help
provide a better incentive to use the train instead of driving.
"We need to be pushing for this investment which will generate
growth in the short term, with the creation of more than ten
thousand jobs, as well as the long-term benefit to commuters and
the community.
"Longer-term, I hope that funding can be secure to secure
equivalent improvements to Northfield station and embrace
Longbridge's potential as an interchange station for services
that connect the West Midlands and the South West."
