Regional business leaders and Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader have welcomed a £123 million boost to a Midlands railways upgrade which will ultimately benefit the community in Lichfield and elsewhere.
Design work on the Midlands Rail Hub has been given the green light thanks to redistribution of HS2 funding.
More than 50 stations – covering 7 million people across the region – are initially set to benefit from the Hub with an additional train every hour in both directions between central Birmingham and locations including Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham and Worcester.
When delivered in full, the various connectivity projects of the hub will see services on most routes increase by between 50 per cent and 100 per cent.
A number of senior leaders in local government and business in the West and East Midlands have signed a statement welcoming the extra cash which is kick-starting the £1.75 billion Rail Hub scheme.
They include Philip White, Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills, Henrietta Brearley, CEO of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and Maria Machancoses, CEO, Midlands Connect.
The statement reads: “We welcome the news that funding has been announced for the Midlands Rail Hub.
“The funding we have now received will enable us to finalise the design and finally kick start the delivery of Midlands Rail Hub – allowing extra services initially from Birmingham to Worcester, Cardiff and Bristol.
“Through our Midlands Connect partnership and WMRE and Transport for the East Midlands, we will continue to work with government to ensure the benefits of the Rail Hub ripple throughout the region including communities like Hereford and Lichfield.
“When delivered in full, Midlands Rail Hub will create faster and more frequent east-west journeys including 14 million extra seats every year.”
