A RAIL project across the Midlands is set to bring 2 million extra seats a year on trains between Birmingham and Malvern.
The Midlands Rail Hub will deliver an extra 20 million seats annually with passengers across Worcestershire towns benefiting.
The project proposes building two ‘chords’ and over 10 further engineering interventions throughout the region to deliver a massive step change in rail transport in the Midlands.
This will see up to 300 extra trains traveling into or out of Birmingham every single day and will help create a ‘turn up and go’ service on the busy Cross City line.
The Cross City line will see two extra trains, in each direction, per hour, creating 5.4 million new seats each year for passengers.
Great Malvern, Worcester, Droitwich Spa and Worcestershire Parkway will see at least 2 million new seats, equating to 20 more trains per day.
Redditch, Alvechurch and Barnt Green will see one extra train, in each direction, per hour and 2.7 million new seats for passengers, whilst Bromsgrove will see 4.7 million new seats.
Andy Clark, head of rail at Midlands Connect, said: “The benefits of the Midlands Rail Hub will be felt by millions of people across the Midlands and beyond.
“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.”
The project is co-sponsored by Midlands Connect, the Department for Transport and West Midlands Rail Executive.
