Midlands Rail Hub: Train every 10 minutes for Birmingham stations MPs told

Birmingham MPs Al Carns and Laurence Turner met with Midlands Connect and other rail chiefs at Kings Norton station to discuss how plans for the Midlands Rail Hub could benefit their constituencies.

The MPs for Birmingham Selly Oak and Birmingham Northfield were told that local stations, including Kings Norton, will see a train every ten minutes on the Cross City line, boosting connectivity in Birmingham.

As part of the Midlands Rail Hub, trains to Longbridge, Northfield, Kings Norton, Bournville and Selly Oak will create a ‘turn up and go’ London-style service and create 5 million extra seats every year. 

As part of the project, Kings Norton station will be upgraded, and the currently derelict island platform will be re-instated. The station’s accessibility will also be upgraded and a brand-new footbridge connecting all platforms will be installed.

Al and Laurence were given a tour of the station and discussed the plans with rail bosses. The Midlands Rail Hub is the flagship scheme of Midlands Connect and when delivered in full, the Hub will see services on several routes increase by between 50% and 100%.  At the event, they were joined by Network Rail's Central Route Director Denise Wetton and Jamie Ainsworth, Health, Safety, Security & Environment Director at West Midlands Railway.

Midlands Rail Hub will also deliver quicker journeys into central Birmingham for the forthcoming two train per hour Camp Hill line service from Kings Norton to New Street via the new stations currently under construction at Pineapple Road, Kings Heath and Moseley Village. The project allows the Camp Hill services to run into Birmingham Moor St, which is a shorter route and provides better access to future HS2 services at Curzon Street.

At the meeting, Midlands Connect, Al Carns MP and Laurence Turner MP were also joined by representatives from West Midlands Rail Executive led by Toby Rackliff which is sponsoring the construction of the new Camp Hill Line stations and is a partner in the Midlands Rail Hub project.   

The project will also deliver a jobs boost as over the course of the project, more than 12,750 roles are expected to result from the Midlands Rail Hub programme.

Last year, the previous Government committed to ‘full’ delivery of the Midlands Rail Hub, and in February this year, an additional £123m was allocated towards the project, to progress the detailed engineering designs. 

Mike Bull, Programme Director of Midlands Connect, said:

“Creating a service every ten minutes for thousands of passengers in Birmingham is a key part of the Midlands Rail Hub. It will make commuting easier and create a turn-up-and-go line. We can do this due to the extra capacity that the Midlands Rail Hub creates.

“It was great to meet Al and Laurence and brief them on the plans and show them how our work will deliver real benefits for their areas and their constituents. We are working at pace to finish the Full Business Case and deliver these much-needed upgrades to Kings Norton, which is at the heart of the Midlands Rail Hub project.

“I look forward to working with Laurence and Al in the months and years ahead to deliver this vital scheme for the region."

Al Carns, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, said:

"These plans are a fantastic opportunity to boost connectivity on one of our key local railway lines. The proposed new timetable will undoubtedly improve public transport connectivity in the communities served by the Cross City line. The current offer is inadequate for local people and businesses to see the railway as a viable alternative to the car. Better transport links mean more opportunities to level up the economic and social life of our local communities. I am thrilled to see this investment  in upgrading Kings Norton station and in our local commuter routes such as the Cross City line, and I know current and future users will benefit hugely from a better rail service on the line.”

Laurence Turner, MP for Birmingham Northfield said:

"Today’s announcement is welcome news for Kings Norton. The new proposed timetable will bring the much-needed reliability and frequency that residents have needed for many years.

"These plans to upgrade Kings Norton station and reinstate its disused platforms signal exactly the right ambitions for investment in public transport in south Birmingham and will help provide a better incentive to use the train instead of driving.

"We need to be pushing for this investment which will generate growth in the short term, with the creation of more than ten thousand jobs, as well as the long-term benefit to commuters and the community.

"Longer-term, I hope that funding can be secure to secure equivalent improvements to Northfield station and embrace Longbridge’s potential as an interchange station for services that connect the West Midlands and the South West."