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Midlands Connect responds to government's rail strategy

Published: Wednesday 11 November 2017

The Department for Transport has set out its strategic vision for our railways, including work being done by Midlands Connect to make the case for a Midlands Rail Hub to increase rail capacity across the region.

 

Commenting on the Department for Transport’s strategic vision for rail, Maria Machancoses, Director of Midlands Connect, said,

 

"Midlands Connect is looking forward to working with the government to take forward the ideas and proposals announced in today’s Rail Strategy, particularly the Midlands Rail Hub, and to receiving more detail on proposals for a freight route running through Central Birmingham. We have already received £5 million from the government to develop a business plan for the Midlands Rail Hub, a programme of rail upgrades which could provide an extra 10 trains per hour and 85,000 seats per day across the East and West Midlands. That’s more than the capacities of Leicester City, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion’s football grounds combined.  An additional £2 million for the Midlands Rail Hub was announced in last week’s Budget to improve rail capacity on the Coventry-Leamington corridor. The Midlands rail network is overcrowded and we believe Midlands Connect’s strategy of rail and road improvements will create jobs, grow businesses and improve the quality of life of the region’s 12 million people."

 

Notes for editors:-

Midlands Connect, in collaboration with central government, brings together local authorities and local enterprise partnerships from across the Midlands. Together, the Midlands Connect Partnership and the Department for Transport have developed a transport strategy that identifies the major infrastructure projects needed to improve the connectivity of our region’s key locations so we can help drive economic growth and power the Midlands Engine.

The Midlands Connect Strategy can be downloaded here:

https://www.midlandsconnect.uk/publications/

 

As the transport pillar of Midlands Engine, Midlands Connect is contributing to achieving our ambition to add £54 billion to the Midlands and UK economies by 2030, powering post-Brexit growth, not just for the benefit of the Midlands but for the whole UK.

The Midlands Engine Vision for Growth can be downloaded here:

https://www.midlandsengine.org/wp-content/uploads/Midlands-Engine-Vision-for-Growth.pdf