West Midlands Railway has announced that the former Camp Hill line in South Birmingham moved a step closer to reopening today, Monday 16th March 2020.
A local passenger train has travelled on the Camp Hill Line for the first time in 80 years.
The Camp Hill line has been closed to passengers since 1941 but plans are now in place to open the line up again, with brand new trains at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell.
The train followed the route of what would be the re-opened line, stopping at the Moseley, Kings Heath, and Hazelwell sites before arriving into Kings Norton, then later returning to Birmingham New Street.
The purpose of this inspection train was to explore how new passenger services on the Camp Hill line would work.
Are you looking forward to the reopening of the Camp Hill line? Let us know in the comments below.
What did the officials say?
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said:
“I am delighted we are pressing ahead with plans to reopen the Camp Hill line to passengers, and it was great to be on the first passenger train to travel on the line in nearly 80 years.
“This line, which also represents another step forward in my 20-year transport plan for the West Midlands, will provide residents in South Birmingham with easier and faster connections to get to the places they need to go, whilst also offering people a real alternative to the car – helping to ease congestion and improve the air we breathe.”
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for WMR, which will run the services on the Camp Hill line, said:
“This is an exciting and visionary plan to transform local train services for our customers in the south of Birmingham. We are working closely with WMRE, Network Rail and the Mayor in order to turn this vision into reality.
“Passengers set to benefit from the quicker route along the Camp Hill line can also look forward to travelling on the brand new train fleet we are introducing as part of our £1billion investment into the rail network.”
Where Next?
RailAdvent Plus
Get image downloads, Prints and Streaming Video
News Homepage
For the Latest Railway News
RailAdvent Online Shop
Framed Prints, DVD's / Blu-Ray's and more
LocoStop Community
Come and share your railway pictures
Mainline Steam Info
Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements
West Midlands Railway
Visit their website
This is shocking reporting. The line is open, has never closed and carries several hundred passenger trains a month.
Do try harder!
“I am delighted we are pressing ahead with plans to reopen the Camp Hill line to passengers, and it was great to be on the first passenger train to travel on the line in nearly 80 years.” Andy Street West Midlands Mayor 16 March 2020.
Andy Street claims to be delivering rail service improvements in the West Midlands, and has been an irritating lobbyist for HS2. Yet he doesn’t appear to know that the Camp Hill Line has never been closed to passenger services, has carried intercity trains regularly since the 1980s, and regional trains to Worcester and Hereford quite often Presumably Mr Street has never travelled to Bristol or Exeter on a train that came from Manchester – these trains use the Camp Hill Line every hour in each direction. Politicians do make themselves look stupid.
The Camp Hill line is not reopening as it is not closed. Only the stations are. Passenger trains already use this line.
It’s not the first passenger train on the line for 80 years it’s used everyday for passenger trains from the southwest to the north ! It’s used to divert trains into New st from the other direction…