FASTER and more frequent trains which will serve Worcestershire as part of a £1.5million package of improvements being introduced by the Midlands Rail Hub have been welcomed by county leaders.
More than 100 extra trains will be added to the Midlands rail network, benefiting thousands of commuters with faster journey times.
The improvements will make space for up to ten extra trains per hour in and out of Birmingham.
New and improved infrastructure will slash train times between Birmingham and Hereford, via Bromsgrove and Droitwich, by up to 13 minutes.
An additional train each hour will be added between Birmingham and Hereford via Worcester, and will also stop at Bromsgrove, Great Malvern and Droitwich as part of its Midlands Rail Plan.
The Midlands Rail Hub will also introduce an extra train each per hour from Redditch and Bromsgrove to Lichfield Trent Valley with services stopping at stations including Alvechurch, Barnt Green, Longbridge, Northfield and Kings Norton. That will mean the Cross City Line will run at six trains per hour.
An additional service each hour between Birmingham and Cardiff via Gloucester stopping at Worcestershire Parkway is also on the timetable.
To celebrate the launch of the plans, Worcester’s MP Robin Walker met with Midlands Connect and local stakeholders.
“I’m really delighted to see the proposals put forward to deliver trains which are going to be more regular and a better service for the many people who commute between Worcester and Birmingham,” Mr Walker said.
“It’s something I’ve been campaigning about for a long time and I’m very happy to support the Midlands Rail Hub.”
Midlands Connect bosses and Mr Walker were joined by Colin Major from Rail Future, Gary Woodman, chief executive of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, Leader of Worcestershire County Council Coun Simon Geraghty, Mark Smith, president of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chambers of Commerce and Ed Goose, Regional Growth Manager East at Great Western Rail.
Coun Geraghty, said: “Worcestershire stands to gain hugely from the Midlands Rail Hub plans. I welcome the proposals, as when the Hub is delivered in its entirety, the number of trains between Worcester and Birmingham every hour will increase.
“Further, enhanced benefits and opportunities for Bromsgrove and Redditch will be created following the upgrading works proposed. The new Worcestershire Parkway station will also be better connected to the rest of the country. It could create opportunities for new direct services to Bristol and the South West, as well as connecting Worcestershire to HS2 in Birmingham.”
Mr Woodman added: “The Midlands Rail Hub is great news for Worcestershire as it will bring increased services to popular routes and reduce travel times, which will help businesses, visitors and residents of Worcestershire who utilise the rail network.”
