Businesses urged to have their say on £1.5bn rail hub

Businesses in the Midlands have until June 16 to share their views on the Midlands Rail Hub, through an online survey.

The results will be used to help illustrate the need for further investment, with results to be announced soon after the June 16 survey deadline. 

The Midlands Rail Hub is Midland’s Connect biggest and most ambitious rail improvement scheme – a £900m - £1.5bn blueprint for faster, better and more frequent connections across the Midlands.

Passenger rail usage in the Midlands is growing faster than anywhere else in the UK, but without investment, the region's rail network can't keep pace with this record demand, and many services remain slow and infrequent.

Andy Clark, Midlands Connect senior rail programme manager, said: “We are delighted with the amount of businesses who have let us know their views but with a week to go we are calling on local businesses to log on and fill in the survey.

“The Midlands Rail Hub is our flagship project and could make a massive difference to the region and fully unlock HS2 and create 1,600 well-paid jobs and apprenticeships.

“It will only take a few minutes and will make a massive difference.”

The scheme will add more than 14 million seats on the rail network each year and provide faster, more frequent or new rail links for over 30 locations including Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Nuneaton, Worcester, Hereford, Cardiff, Bristol, Cheltenham and Leicester.

It will also bring a further 1.6 million  people to within an hour of the region’s biggest towns and cities by public transport.

The Midlands Rail Hub proposes building two ‘chords’ as well as 11 further engineering interventions throughout the region to deliver a massive step change in rail transport in the Midlands.

The project will also maximise the benefits of HS2 and safeguard 1,600 jobs in the engineering and construction sector.