Published: Friday 06 June 2023
Midlands Connect is urging local businesses to share their views on the Midlands Rail Hub. The survey is open for another week.
The results will be used to help illustrate the need for further investment.
This short survey closes on Friday 16th June, with results to be announced soon after. Click here to take part.
The Midlands Rail Hub is Midland’s Connect biggest and most ambitious rail improvement scheme – a £900m - £1.5bn blueprint for faster, better and more frequent connections across the Midlands.
Passenger rail usage in the Midlands is growing faster than anywhere else in the UK, but without investment, the region's rail network can't keep pace with this record demand, and many services remain slow and infrequent. The scheme will add more than 14 million seats on the rail network each year and provide faster, more frequent or new rail links for over 30 locations including: Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Nuneaton, Worcester, Hereford, Cardiff, Bristol, Cheltenham and Leicester. It will also bring a further 1.6 million people to within an hour of the region’s biggest towns and cities by public transport.
The Midlands Rail Hub proposes building two ‘chords’ as well as 11 further engineering interventions throughout the region to deliver a massive step change in rail transport in the Midlands. The project will also maximise the benefits of HS2 and safeguard 1,600 jobs in the engineering and construction sector.
Commenting, Midlands Connect Senior Rail Programme Manager, Andy Clark, said:
“We are delighted with the amount of businesses who have let us know their views but with a week to go we are calling on local businesses to log on and fill in the survey.
“The Midlands Rail Hub is our flagship project and could make a massive difference to the region and fully unlock HS2 and create 1,600 well-paid jobs and apprenticeships.
“It will only take a few minutes and will make a massive difference.”
The survey can be found here: https://midlandsconnect.consultationonline.co.uk/midlandsrailhub/