West Midlands Railway has announced that plans for three new railway stations in Birmingham have been unveiled.
The plans come as the reopening of the Camp Hill Line to passenger trains takes another step forward.
Under the new proposals, stations will be opened at Moseley, Kings Heath, and Hazelwell.
The Camp Hill Line will tempt new passengers to rail travel by offering an alternative to commuting via bus and car on congested A435 Alcester Road.
The train services at launch is expected to be two trains an hour into Central Birmingham, with journey times of around 15 minutes. In the longer term, more frequent services may be possible as part of the Midlands Rail Hub project. This will build the Camp Hill Chords to link the line to Moor Street Station
It is hoped that construction work would start in 2020, with a hope of getting the three stations open by the end of 2021. This would be in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
A fourth station could be opened in the future at Balsall Heath, however, there are no firm plans at this stage
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street was joined by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling for a tour of the Moseley station site and the unveiling of the station designs.
What did the officials say?
Andy Street said:
“I know exactly how important reopening this railway line is to people in the communities in Kings Heath, Moseley and Hazelwell, and everybody who has a part to play in making this happen is working towards getting it reopened as quickly as possible.
“Congestion from this part of the city into the city centre is one of the huge drawbacks for what are otherwise thriving areas – undoing the rail closures seven decades ago will be a huge step in tackling both congestion and the clean air challenge we all face.”
Cllr Roger Lawrence, the Chair of West Midlands Rail Executive, said:
“The Moseley line is part of the wider investment TfWM is making across our region.
“We are working on extending our tram network, developing new Sprint rapid bus routes and of course looking to reopen more railway lines.
“We are also making progress on plans to reopen the Wolverhampton to Walsall line to passengers with new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston as part of our ambition to create a world class integrated transport system.
“This investment in the region's bus, rail, cycling and trams will not only improve lives of residents and commuters, but it will underpin the economic growth of our region.”
Martin Frobisher, managing director for Network Rail's London North Western route, said:
“The proposed railway upgrades in the West Midlands are really exciting. We are eager to work with all partner organisations that share our ambition to bring lasting improvements for rail customers.
“On the Camp Hill line proposals, we are undertaking detailed work to assess the practicality of the timetable and to determine if additional railway infrastructure is needed.”
West Midlands Railway managing director, Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, said:
“Rail travel in the West Midlands has never been more popular, and demand continues to increase.
“West Midlands Railway is working in partnership with the Mayor, the Combined Authority and West Midlands Rail Executive to ensure resources are put in place to meet that demand with new stations, new trains with improved reliability and better information for our passengers.”
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