Thousands of people have shared their views on proposed major upgrades to the railway in Birmingham as part of the first consultation about Midlands Rail Hub.
The eight-week consultation, which ran from 6 July to 28 August, invited members of the public, businesses, passengers and other stakeholders to comment on early proposals for upgrades to the railway between Bordesley and Birmingham Moor Street.
More than 3,500 responses were received during the consultation, with people also engaging with the Midlands Rail Hub Alliance through a series of public events, an online webinar, and meetings with local organisations and stakeholders.
Midlands Rail Hub is the region’s biggest and most ambitious rail improvement scheme which would provide faster, better, and more frequent journeys for local, regional, and national passengers. It would also boost economic growth, create jobs and apprenticeships, support the delivery of new homes, create regeneration opportunities, and improve regional access to HS2 at Curzon Street.
The scheme will add up to 300 additional trains on the rail network per day into or out of Birmingham and provide faster, more frequent or new rail links for over 50 locations, including Nottingham, Leicester, Bromsgrove, Nuneaton, Worcester, Hereford and Cardiff.
Mark Cuzner, Midlands Rail Hub Alliance director, said: “Thank you to everyone who took the time to find out more about the proposals and share their views. We have received more than 3,500 responses, alongside valuable feedback through our consultation events and conversations with businesses and stakeholders.
“This first consultation has given us a clearer understanding of both the opportunities people see in the scheme and the concerns they have about its potential impacts. We will carefully consider that feedback alongside our ongoing technical and environmental work as we refine the proposals and look for opportunities to avoid, reduce or manage impacts where possible.
“These proposals represent a key element of the wider vision for Midlands Rail Hub, which would provide faster, more reliable and more frequent journeys for local, regional and national passengers, helping to open up opportunities for millions of people. The feedback we have received will play an important role in shaping our proposals ahead of a second consultation planned for summer 2027.”
The proposals consulted on included:
- Construction of the Bordesley chords.
- Capacity enhancements at Birmingham Moor Street station.
- Widening of sections of the existing Bordesley viaduct.
These improvements would transfer a number of regional train services from Birmingham New Street to Birmingham Moor Street. This would reduce congestion at Birmingham New Street – the busiest station outside of London – and allow for much-needed additional local and long-distance services to be added.
The proposals would also help to better integrate the railway with other transport networks including buses and trams, helping to provide more seamless and better journeys across the West Midlands.
In more detail, the proposals would enable:
- Three additional trains per hour to towns and cities South West of Birmingham.
- The reinstatement of two additional Cross City line trains per hour (meaning there would be six trains per hour in total).
- Four additional trains per hour towards the East Midlands, one of which will also serve the North East, subject to future decisions about affordability and value for money.
Consultation feedback will now be analysed in detail and considered alongside ongoing design, engineering and environmental work. As the proposals are developed, the Alliance will consider how feedback can inform the designs, including opportunities to avoid, reduce or manage potential impacts where possible.
Refined proposals will be subject to a second consultation in 2027. The Midlands Rail Hub Alliance then expects to submit a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) application to the Secretary of State for Transport in early 2028 to secure the consents needed to deliver the scheme.
More information on the project is available at www.mrhalliance.co.uk.
Image credit: Network Rail
