Midlands Rail Hub looks to the future with preferred alliance partners

The biggest railway upgrade in the Midlands has taken a huge step forward after four companies were identified as preferred partners for the scheme.

Midlands Rail Hub, which could cost around £1.75bn if delivered in full, will transform journeys and better connect people with opportunities, jobs, and new houses.

The government’s recent spending review committed to progress the next stage of Midlands Rail Hub, following an initial £123m released last year to design and develop major changes to the railway through Birmingham.

Alongside this, planning is underway to begin to deliver two smaller but significant upgrades to benefit passengers as quickly as possible.

The preferred new alliance - made up of VolkerRail, Laing O'Rourke, AtkinsRéalis, Siemens Mobility, and Network Rail - will design and develop plans and support the build phase needed to transform passenger journeys.

This latest development is part of ongoing work by Network Rail, West Midlands Rail Executive, Midlands Connect and Department for Transport to progress Midlands Rail Hub.

The overhaul of the railway in Birmingham and the West Midlands, including changing how the city's three main stations - New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill - are served by train services from across the region and beyond, will have significant benefits to local, regional and national passenger journeys.

The biggest change will be connecting the Chiltern main line, which runs into Moor Street, with the Camp Hill lines which run towards the South West and East Midlands via two new chords in Bordesley, near Birmingham city centre. 

The transformation of the network will include running more train services on key routes through Birmingham and significantly improving connections for the millions of people who use the railway every day.

Work will be prioritised to explore how smaller, but vital, pieces of work which will provide passengers and communities with quicker benefits, including new journey options and more trains can be delivered as soon as possible.

They include reopening platform 4 at Snow Hill station so additional Chiltern Railways services can run directly between Birmingham's business district and London Marylebone, and redeveloping Kings Norton station and the lines through it so extra Cross City trains can be added and new Midlands Rail Hub-enabled services can call there.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “The Midlands Rail Hub will be transformational for economic growth, jobs and homes in the region, and it’s great to see this new alliance ready to deliver vital improvements that will deliver for passengers and freight.

“With £123 million already released to Network Rail, as part of its Plan for Change, this Government is forging ahead with its promise to create the modern transport system Britain needs and deserves.”

Mal Drury-Rose, West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) director, said: “The Midlands Rail Hub isn't just about delivering more train services; it will unlock huge opportunities for new housing and economic investment across the region.

“We're already making great strides, with WMRE, WMCA, and TfWM collaborating to deliver significant investment in new stations. Building on the success of award-winning Perry Barr and University stations, we currently have five new stations under construction and another in early development.

“Combined with our new fleet of trains, the Midlands Rail Hub will ensure this investment works even harder for West Midlanders and deliver a more prosperous and better-connected future.”

Denise Wetton, Network Rail's Central route director, said: "Midlands Rail Hub is a brilliant example of the benefits the railway provides to the everyday lives of people, communities and businesses. It will connect more people with new opportunities, create new jobs and access to careers, and be a catalyst for much-needed house building.

“We are working to deliver early improvements and changes in Kings Norton and at Snow Hill to deliver benefits for passengers and communities as quickly as possible, while planning the bigger pieces of work which will enable much-wider benefits of the project.

“Identifying the preferred alliance partners is a really important step and highlights the commitment and intent to deliver a project of this size and the huge amounts of benefits it will provide to the Midlands and beyond."

Maria Machancoses, chief executive of Midlands Connect, said: "Midlands Rail Hub is moving forward at pace and we will continue to work with the Mayors, local leaders and our partners to ensure its benefits reach up to 50 locations across the East and West Midlands.

“By solving major gaps in connectivity across the region, Midlands Rail Hub will improve services to major economic hubs and boost our local economies.

“Progressing the alliance is a significant milestone in this ambitious and transformative project."

The alliance partners will carefully plan timescales for the development of Midlands Rail Hub with early passenger benefits expected to be realised by the early 2030s.