Extra trains and millions of seats in £1.75bn plan

Extra trains and changes to the network will result in millions more seats for passengers, rail bosses have said.

Midlands Connect said the £1.75bn Midlands Rail Hub project will see up to 300 extra trains in the region, including leading to 14.2m more seats for passengers using Birmingham Moor Street.

Under the plans, the Cross Country line, which passes through Birmingham New Street, will see two extra trains in each direction per hour, bringing an additional 5.4m seats.

The rail body said the work involved two new rail links, or viaducts, called the Bordesley Chords, connecting the Camp Hill line to Moor Street station, enhancing rail capacity and access.

One called the West Chord will enhance services using the Hereford and Worcester corridors and allow trains to access Moor Street from the South West and Wales.

Meanwhile, the East Chord proposals aim to create access to Moor Street from the East Midlands.

Midlands Connect hopes these links will end waiting outside New Street and move more services to Moor Street, a rail station also in the city centre.

It would up to 300 a day more trains coming into Birmingham, creating some 20 million seats, it explained.

Scheme managers hope work will be completed by 2031, to coincide with the HS2 project.

"The benefits of the Midlands Rail Hub will be felt by millions of people across the Midlands and beyond, said Andy Clark, head of rail at Midlands Connect.

"Being able to run faster, more frequent services and deliver 20 million extra seats is the definition of a win-win project.

"The Midlands Rail Hub is our flagship project at Midlands Connect, and we are working to deliver massive benefits to all corners of the Midlands."

Redditch, Alvechurch and Barnt Green will see one extra train in each direction, per hour, under the scheme.

And there will be more seats for passengers travelling by train from areas including Lichfield and Bromsgrove, said project leaders.

Engineering upgrades will include works to platforms at Moor Street, Snow Hill, improvements around Kings Norton to Barnt Green, Water Orton remodelling and the widening of the viaduct at Bordesley.

Midlands Connect co-sponsors the work with the Department for Transport and West Midlands Rail Executive.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.