New rail hub will ‘speed up housing developments’ in Birmingham
A major new rail project which will bring 20 million extra seats in and out of Birmingham could speed up housing schemes, a new report claims.
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Midlands Rail Hub could help to facilitate new housing across large parts of the region, by providing means for people to access jobs, services and opportunities.
The new report highlights the annual housing need of the Midlands as 21,210 extra homes per year.
The Government wants to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of parliament and is overhauling planning rules with the aim of cutting red tape and speeding up decisions.
One of the projects cited in the report is Worcestershire Parkway, which will deliver approximately 10,000 dwellings and 50 hectares of employment land in phases near Worcestershire Parkway railway station.
Midlands Rail Hub will add 140 new train services to Worcestershire Parkway a week, providing more frequent services to Birmingham, Cheltenham, Gloucester, and Cardiff.
The £1.75 billion Hub aims to provide faster, better and more frequent connections across the Midlands.
The scheme will add up to 300 additional trains and 20 million extra seats on the rail network per day into or out of Birmingham and provide faster, more frequent or new rail links for over 50 locations, creating nearly 13,000 construction jobs.
It proposes building two ‘chords’ and over 10 further engineering interventions throughout the region.
The West Chord will consist of improvements between Bordesley and Moor Street, allowing access to Birmingham Moor Street from South-West and Wales, and improving services on the Hereford and Worcester corridors.
While the East Chord will create access to Birmingham Moor Street from the East Midlands.
Engineering upgrades will include works to platforms at Moor Street, Snow Hill, improvements around Kings Norton to Barnt Green, Water Orton remodelling and Bordesley viaduct widening.
Maria Machancoses, CEO of Midlands Connect said: “Our new report shows how the Midlands Rail Hub project can support the government’s housing mission and help to speed up vital housing projects in the Midlands.
“Transport can help make the Government’s vital mission, building the homes we need, a reality.
“But the scheme can and must do more than that; it must be an enabler for growth.
“To make those communities flourish, we need strong and better access to well-paid jobs and amenities. Midlands Rail Hub sits at the heart of that.
“Our new report shows how our flagship project could be another building block in that story, helping to deliver a national priority.”
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution Jim McMahon OBE MP said: “We are committed to delivering 1.5m new homes across this Parliament – and new homes need new infrastructure.
“Projects like the Midlands Rail Hub are exactly what we want to see: empowered local leaders clearing away obstacles to the new, high-quality housing their communities deserve.
“Brilliant initiatives like this one will also drive local growth, attracting investment into the region and boosting opportunities for local residents in the process.”
The Midlands Rail Hub project is co-sponsored by Midlands Connect, the Department for Transport and West Midlands Rail Executive.
