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Home , Network Rail, Water Orton, West Midlands (region)

Enabling progress and facilitating growth

A rail strategy for the

More seats, on faster journeys, to more places

Up to 10 extra trains every hour across the Midlands via

Ready to benefit from HS2 The railways across the Midlands are vital to the region, connecting people to jobs, leisure and goods. This network brings together key locations across the nation for passengers, whilst enabling freight to travel to and from all corners of the country. By bringing people to jobs and businesses to markets, the Midlands’ railways play a key role in supporting economic growth. This document outlines an industry developed strategy to both facilitate and accommodate growth for the next 10 to 30 years, which has been supported and endorsed by Midlands Connect.

114%

95% Rail growth supports

Passenger growth to 2043 economic prosperity

Growth High Speed Two (HS2) The number of passengers using With Royal Assent granted for the railway across the Midlands Phase 1 in February 2017, HS2 is has increased substantially over set to deliver new high speed the past decade with further services between , growth forecast. Accomodating Birmingham, the East Midlands, this growth and its positive Manchester, Leeds and beyond economic impact is a primary that will act as a catalyst for focus of Midlands Connect. change in these cities and regions. The opening of HS2 Phase 1 in 2026 and Phase 2a in 2027 will transform the West Midlands, with new stations at Birmingham Curzon Street in the city centre and Birmingham Interchange adjacent to Birmingham Airport. From 2033, Phase 2b will reshape pan- links, bringing the East Midlands and West Midlands closer together.

2 Devolution and local agenda Franchising Government is encouraging Refranchising forms a key policy to be set locally to drive opportunity for the delivery of forward economic growth. the strategy, acting as a Midlands Connect are mechanism for the delivery of bringing together local additional trains and services transport authorities, on the network. businesses and to identify targeted transport investment in the pan- Midlands area to support jobs, housing and the economy. West Midlands and East Midlands Councils have been part of the development of the strategy, feeding in the economic and transport priorities for the region.

Approach This document sets out a rail strategy for the Midlands. A number of upgrades to the network have been identified as choices for funders in order to meet and facilitate forecast demand. These options are presented alongside the timescales for when interventions would be The Digital Railway is a rail required. Funding will need to industry-wide programme to be identified in order to benefit Britain’s economy by progress development further. accelerating the use of digital The full details of the strategy technology on the railway. These and choices for funders can be include train operation, capacity found in the East Midlands and allocation, passenger experience, West Midlands and Chilterns infrastructure, and stations that Route Studies respectively. will facilitate future growth.

West Midlands Strategy 3 A growing economy The railway of the Midlands performs an essential role in and supporting economic growth. • faster economic growth than the national average Midlands • strong growth recorded in Birmingham, the UK’s second city • resilient east-west connectivity is critical to supporting future Strategy economic growth across the region • East Midlands GVA growth has been 85.4% over the past two decades

By 2024 Midlands Rail Hub of the HS2 network The Midlands Rail Hub is a core Leeds component of the strategy. extra seats Midlands Connect has identified Manchester 3,300 Piccadilly on key commuter routes that delivering the new services unlocked by additional capacity Manchester 2,900 extra seats in central Birmingham could Airport on long distance services deliver £2bn in economic growth over 30 years. Toton (East Midlands Hub)

Upgraded stations Pan-Midlands Corridors Birmingham Interchange Birmingham Moor Street Birmingham Curzon Birmingham Snow Hill £500m Street University Midlands Connect has identified Wider Economic Benefits Old Oak contributed to the UK economy Common by improving the connectivity London and journey times across the Euston Midlands.

More freight Freight growth New HS2 stations

Key flows for the Midlands 65% 2023 Birmingham Curzon Street include intermodal container Birmingham Interchange traffic from Felixstowe ports to Toton (East Midlands Hub) the West Midlands and transfer The Midlands forms a critical hub for the national freight network. of construction materials from quarries to London. This positive demand is projected 350% 2043 to continue in the future.

4 Franchising Franchising Timelines The strategy for the Midlands has already started to be delivered West through refranchising. The new West Midlands franchise will provide Midlands additional seats on key commuter routes and an increase in evening East and Sunday services. The competition to run the next East Midlands Midlands franchise has commenced, which look to deliver further key outputs West Coast of the strategy. The two subsequent franchise processes for West Partnership Coast Partnership and Cross Country have pivotal impacts on the Cross Country Midlands area will also look to facilitate delivery of the strategy. 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Newcastle Access to Birmingham Airport Durham Increasing the number of tracks

Darlington between and Birmingham Airport is growing would allow the following the arrival of an rerouteing of an existing cross- extended runway and new country service, providing routes, with 11 million Leeds Birmingham Airport and passengers in 2016/17, whilst Doncaster Coventry with important links East Midlands Airport handles to the South Coast, East more cargo each year than any Midlands and North East. other airport outside of London.

Birmingham Trent Junctions Birmingham International Lines from Derby, Nottingham, Toton Coventry Leamington Spa and Toton converge at Trent Junctions. Insufficient D er capacity across the junctions by Oxford combined with the importance for Trent Junction linking to the HS2 East Midlands Sheet Stores East Nottingham Reading Junction Basingstoke Hub station at Toton make Trent Junction Winchester improving this area key to enabling South r te s e long-term future growth. c i Southampton e L

Leicester area upgrade Towards 2043 Key medium-term constraint to Full rollout of Digital Railway future growth of all rail services Extra tracks between and Birmingham International Additional passenger services New junctions at and Additional platforms at Leicester and Syston stations Further electrification Four-tracking and improving Derby and area enhancements junctions at constrained locations – Leicester area capacity enhancement in the wider Leicester area

Midlands Rail Map 5 Midlands Derby Station area Strategic enhancements

Map Matlock Stoke-on-Trent

Derby

Burton New junction at Water Orton

Shrewsbury

Tamworth

Wolverhampton Birmingham Nuneaton Curzon Street

Birmingham Birmingham Moor Street University New Street

Leamington Spa Worcester New junction at Barnt Green Stratford upon Avon

Hereford

Leamington Spa - Coventry Midlands Rail Hub enhancment

Stechford - Birmingham International additional tracks

6 Nottingham Station area enhancements

Worksop

Lincoln

Skegness

Newark Castle

Nottingham Toton Grantham Trent Junction enhancements

Loughborough Leicester area capacity

Syston - resignalling Leicester

Peterborough Nuneaton - Leicester area capacity enhancement

Corby

Kettering

Rugby

Extra carriages needed to meet Birmingham Map Key commuter demand Upgraded station Longer trains [East Midlands HS2 Numbers TBC] Network upgrade Midlands rail network 2024 2043 Non-Midlands rail network

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

Midlands Rail Hub 7 Up to 10 extra trains every hour Collaborative industry working

Water Snow Orton Hill Moor Unlocking Street new jobs £2bn and New Midlands Connect has identified Street supporting the Wider Economic Benefits Bordesley economic growth contributed to the UK economy over 30 years by fully delivering the Midlands Rail Hub

Infrastructure Bordesley Chords and new platforms at Moor Street More tracks through Water 85,000 Orton Up to 36,000 lorries off the road every year extra seats Kings Norton upgrade every day Snow Hill Platform 4 Begin rollout of Digital Railway

Resilience Local HS2 Growth Strategy The development of a long distance More trains to Leicester Harnessing the prospective growth hub at Birmingham Moor Street produced by providing local access to Station will improve the resilience of HS2 is key to the Midlands region. the network. If there is planned or Changing the service offer in central unplanned disruption at Birmingham Birmingham will lead to passenger New Street Station, Birmingham trains using the Camp Hill lines Moor Street Station can continue to More trains to Nottingham currently used by freight services. operate. This provides the opportunity to deliver new stations as identified in the More seats from Tamworth HS2 Growth Strategy. and Burton

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