Midlands Connect met with Robin Walker MP and Worcestershire County Councillors today (Friday 9th December) at Worcester Foregate Street Station, to launch plans for a new Midlands Rail Hub.

Under the proposed plans, journey time from Worcester Foregate Street into Birmingham could be cut by 20 minutes, and there would be one extra train per hour into Birmingham and Hereford. This will be a result of restoring the four-tracking between Longbridge and Barnt Green to allow the running of additional fast services.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, Leader, Worcestershire County Council, said: ‘’Worcestershire stands to gain hugely from the Midlands Rail Hub’s plans. I welcome the plan, as when the Hub is delivered in its entirety, the number of trains between Worcester and Birmingham every hour will increase, with an average journey time of half an hour. Further, enhanced benefits and opportunities for Bromsgrove and Redditch will be created following the restoring of the railway tracks.

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. So, I am delighted to see that the whole of Worcestershire will benefit from this Plan. ’’

Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “ 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.

“Improving Worcestershire’s physical connectivity is a key aim of the Worcestershire LEP’s 2040 vision for the county and the introduction of the Midlands Rail Hub, alongside projects such as Worcestershire Parkway and the redevelopment of Kidderminster Station, are helping to better connect Worcestershire regionally and nationally.”

An Outline Business Case was submitted to the Government by Midlands Connect on 5th Dec 2022. Further information can be found here: Midlands Connect | Midlands Rail Hub: ‘biggest step possible in levelling-up the Midlands’