Midlands Rail Hub announces preferred alliance partners to transform rail across the midlands

Midlands Rail Hub has announced four companies as preferred partners for the scheme which if delivered in full would transform rail journey across the Midlands at an estimated cost of around £1.75bn.

The government’s recent spending review committed to progress the next stage of Midlands Rail Hub, following an initial £123m released last year.

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 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.

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

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.

Work will be prioritised to explore how smaller 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. Early passenger benefits expected to be realised by the early 2030s.

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 this Government is forging ahead with its promise to create the modern transport system Britain needs and deserves.”

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.

“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."

Stuart Birch, VolkerRail managing director, said, “Our enduring partnerships with Laing O’Rourke and Atkins Realis has delivered proven success across major programmes, and we’re eager to bring the insights gained from our work on East West Rail Phase 2, and the Stafford Area Improvement Programme into the Midlands Rail Hub project, to meet the needs of Birmingham's social fabric.

“We’re also pleased to continue our collaboration with Siemens. Together, our experience on transformative projects such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade and the ECML power supply enhancement puts us in an excellent position to ensure seamless and effective delivery through this alliance."

Rob Morris, Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland joint CEO and managing director for rail infrastructure and software, said “We're looking forward to collaborating with our alliance partners to transform rail travel and transport rail in ways that will drive economic growth and serve the Midlands for generations to come. This is an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with key stakeholders and local communities to ensure the Midlands Rail Hub delivers lasting benefits, for passengers, for Birmingham, and for the wider region.”