UK: Network Rail has selected its preferred alliance partners to develop the planned Midlands Rail Hub around Birmingham.
The infrastructure manager has chosen VolkerRail, Laing O’Rourke, AtkinsRéalis and Siemens Mobility to take work on the programme forward pending full confirmation of funding for the overall scheme, which is worth £1∙75bn. The Midlands Rail Hub is a package of interventions, including construction of new chords and stations, that is intended to boost capacity for passenger services radiating from Birmingham across the east and west Midlands.
The government’s recent Spending Review included a commitment to progress the next stage of the programme, following an initial £123m released last year to design and develop changes to the railway through Birmingham.
NR said on August 28 that work on an initial set of smaller packages is to be prioristised. These include reopening platform 4 at Birmingham Snow Hill station so additional Chiltern Railways services can run to and from London Marylebone, and redeveloping Kings Norton station to support additional trains on the Birmingham cross-city line and enable regional services to call there.
Longer-term MRH investment includes the long-planned Bordesley Chords connecting the Camp Hill line south of Birmingham with the city’s Moor Street station. The first MRH enhancements are expected to be commisisoned in the early 2030s, NR said.
‘Midlands Rail Hub is a brilliant example of the benefits the railway provides to the everyday lives of people, communities and businesses’, said NR’s Central Route Director Denise Wetton. ‘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.’
‘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’, added Mal Drury-Rose, Director of the West Midlands Rail Executive. ‘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.’
Maria Machancoses, Chief Executive of sub-national transport and economic growth body 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.’
