With Villa Park in Birmingham designated as one of the grounds to host Euro 2028 fixtures, the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) has released plans to upgrade Witton Railway Station just a half mile from the ground.
The plans are a result of a feasibility study that WMRE commissioned, which confirmed that Witton Station should be upgraded in readiness for the Euro 2028 fixtures. With the study giving an initial go-ahead for the plans, rail bosses will now proceed to produce a business case for the station improvements.
Until now, although the station has been in a poor state of repair, it has never been viable to put forward a case for its redevelopment. However, as more supporters are now travelling to Villa Park by rail than ever before, and with the stadium designated as a host venue for the Euro 2028 tournament, a more compelling investment case can be made. Station redevelopment will also future-proof the station should the expansion of Aston Villa's stadium ever take place.
Included in the proposed improvements are new passenger ramps to both platforms to provide more queuing capacity after matches, a new subway for pedestrians and cyclists under the line at Station Road, wider and deeper platforms to increase capacity and enable more people to queue for longer trains, and replacing platform shelters with open canopies.
The next stage is to build a strong business case for the plans, with the West Midlands Rail Executive and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) working with Aston Villa, Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, UEFA, and West Midlands Trains.
Other options considered by the study but which were ultimately dismissed in favour of upgrading the station included operating a fleet of shuttle buses from Birmingham City Centre.
Witton station was orignally opened in 1876 but later rebuilt. As it now stands it has narrow platforms, is poorly lit, and is unwelcoming and frequently overcrowded after matches with fans queuing outside onto the main Witton Road. On a typical match day, about 7,700 fans travel by train to both Witton and Aston stations.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMRE, said: “Everyone who has ever tried to travel to Villa Park via the railway on a matchday knows just how unfit for purpose Witton Station is. With its narrow platforms combined with frequent overcrowding, it really does make for a miserable experience.
“This has been the case for some time, but a business case for redevelopment has never stacked up. But now – with the Euros just a few years away – we have the catalyst we need to make this long-awaited redevelopment happen. That's why today we're able to confirm that, following the feasibility study, we are now a significant step closer to redeveloping Witton Station.”
Surly that should of been taken into consideration before they made villa park a venue for the upcoming event and once again Birmingham city council doing things wrong like the games at the Alexander stadium and its surrounding with empty buildings and apartments .
If the station has been in a poor state of repair and unfit for purpose for years, why hasn’t the West Midlands Mayor put some money together and arranged for it to be upgraded? If only for passenger safety reasons?