Network Rail says the Midlands Rail Hub Alliance has been appointed to take forward the Midlands Rail Hub, a £1.75 billion programme aimed at improving journeys, supporting economic growth and strengthening connections across the county, as set out by the Network Rail media centre. The wider Midlands Rail Hub proposal has also been discussed by Railway Supply.

Midlands Rail Hub Alliance set for £1.75bn rail upgrade
Network Rail

The newly confirmed partnership brings together VolkerRail, Laing O’Rourke, AtkinsRéalis and Siemens Mobility to work alongside Network Rail on design and development, with support planned through the build phase as well.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

A central element of the plan is a Chiltern main line connection to the Camp Hill lines, created via two new chords in Bordesley, to improve routes towards the South West and the East Midlands, as reported by Rail Technology Magazine.

In parallel, work is being prioritised on smaller upgrades to the existing railway intended to deliver new journey options and enable more trains for passengers and communities. These include the reopening of platform 4 at Snow Hill Station and the redevelopment of Kings Norton station and its lines.

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Network Rail said the Midlands Rail Hub Alliance will coordinate with the sponsoring partner team—Network Rail, West Midlands Rail Executive, the Department for Transport and Midlands Connect—to plan timescales for developing the Hub. Early benefits are expected to be realised by the early 2030s.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said the Midlands Rail Hub will be transformational for millions of people by improving capacity across the network, enabling more services and better reliability.

He added that £123 million of Government funding will help unlock job opportunities, stimulate housing growth and better connect communities as part of the drive for a modern transport system.

More broadly, the overall transformation of the railway in Birmingham and the West Midlands is expected to benefit local, regional and national passenger journeys, with more train services set to run on key routes through Birmingham.

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