MP hears about plans for 50 extra trains a day through Erdington and Gravelly Hill
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Local MP Paulette Hamilton discussed with Midlands Connect and rail chiefs the Midlands Rail Hub and how it could deliver up to 50 extra trains per day through key local stations.
As part of the Midlands Rail Hub, trains to Erdington and Gravelly Hill will see a ‘turn up and go’ London-style service and create 5 million extra seats every year.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAt the meeting, Midlands Connect and Paulette Hamilton MP were also joined by Councillor Majid Mahmood Birmingham City Council, Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment and representatives from West Midlands Rail Executive, West Midlands Trains and Network Rail.
![From left to right: Councillor Mick Brown [Councillor for Gravelly Hill Ward], Councillor Majid Mahmood Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Andrew McGill Public Affairs Manager West Midlands Trains, Paulette Hamilton MP, Toby Rackliff Strategic Lead Rail Policy at West Midlands Rail Executive, Sarah Spink Partnerships Lead at Midlands Connect and Aiden Martin, senior sponsor for Network Rail.](/img/placeholder.png)
The project will also deliver a jobs boost, 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.
Sarah Spink, Strategic Partnerships Lead at Midlands Connect said:
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“It was great to meet Paulette and brief her on the current plans and show her how our work will deliver real benefits for her areas and her constituents. We are working at pace to finish the Full Business Case and deliver these much-needed upgrades to Erdington and Gravelly Hill. Paulette has been a big supporter of the Midlands Rail Hub scheme so it was fantastic to show how much progress has been made.
“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.”
Aiden Martin, senior sponsor for Network Rail, said:
“Midlands Rail Hub would create much-needed space across the West Midlands railway to allow an extra two trains per hour in both directions on the Cross City line through Birmingham. This would be a real boost for passengers travelling on one of the busiest routes in the region.
“It was a pleasure to meet with Paulette Hamilton MP to further explain why this project is so important for her constituency and the surrounding area.”