Funding for Midlands Rail Hub next stage of development announced

Funding for the next stage of the development of Midlands Rail Hub has been announced, following a visit of the Secretary of State for Transport.

A £123 million pot has been secured to design the transformational upgrade project to improve transport across the region and beyond by boosting the capacity and frequency of rail services.

More than 50 stations - covering seven million people across the region - will benefit. The improvements will mean an additional train every hour in both directions between central Birmingham and locations including Cardiff, Bristol, Cheltenham and Worcester.

This first wave of funding will enable design work to begin on creating space for extra services. This includes preparing detailed designs for the infrastructure improvements required, finalising operating plans for the new services, while continuing to move the rest of the programme forward.

The investment comes as part of the Government’s Network North transport plan, which committed £1.75 billion to deliver the Midlands Rail Hub in full, made possible by reallocated HS2 funding.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “The Midlands Rail Hub will bring huge benefits to passengers in the region and beyond, so it’s great to be in Birmingham with Mayor Andy Street to kick start this important project.

"Today's announcement is part of the Government’s plan to invest in transport projects with reallocated HS2 funding, helping to grow the economy and better connect communities across the Midlands."

More London to Birmingham services will be extended from Moor Street to Snow Hill station meaning the Chiltern line will also serve Birmingham's Snow Hill business district.

In addition, Kings Norton station will be made more accessible, while platforms at Snow Hill, Moor Street, and Kings Norton stations will be upgraded. Passengers will also have greater access to HS2 services via Curzon Street station, meaning easier travel across the country.

When delivered in full, the Hub will see services on most routes increase by between 50% and 100%. Birmingham’s Cross-City line will be given a 'turn-up-and-go' service with a train every 10 minutes.

The number of trains between Birmingham and Leicester will be doubled from two to four per hour, while additional trains are planned between Birmingham and Nottingham, and the new Birmingham to Worcester trains extended to Hereford.

Maria Machancoses, Chief Executive of Midlands Connect, said:

“This announcement marks a major milestone in this transformational, nationally significant project.

“The Midlands Rail Hub programme is the result of years of collaboration and determination by cross-party leaders from all corners of the Midlands.

"Today's £123m announcement is a clear sign of Government’s trust in our partnership - getting us closer to finally delivering much need east-west connectivity across the region.

"We will continue to work with Government to progress the plans and ensure, as set out in Network North, Midlands Rail Hub is delivered in full, extending the benefits to towns and cities like Hereford, Nottingham, Derby and Leicester.”

The Midlands Rail Hub announcement comes as the British Business Bank launched its £400 million Midlands Engine Investment Fund II today (Thursday), unlocking additional funding to help smaller businesses in the Midlands prosper and thrive.

The fund will drive sustainable economic growth by supporting new and growing businesses across the whole of the Midlands, increasing the access and diversity of early-stage finance for smaller businesses in the region. It includes a range of finance options with loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investments up to £5 million to help small and medium-sized businesses start up, scale up, or stay ahead.