of the chief beneficiaries at that timetable change, with a regular hourly Sunday service planned for the to Shrewsbury line, taking over from the current stopping service operated by Arriva Trains Wales.

ROLLING STOCK With the dramatic complete replacement of the rolling stock fleet on the Anglia franchise, observers wait with interest to see what the bidders put forward for the West Midlands one. With money so cheap, new trains are likely to feature strongly: the DfT is expecting some extra capacity to be provided, but existing fleets will also be closely examined. The Class 323s used on the busy CrossCity line will come into focus. Bidders have been asked to suggest alternative seating arrangements to the current '3+2' layout; THE MIDLANDS ENGINE IS GATHERING SPEED, REPORTS JAMES ABBOTT narrow door widths are a more intractable „roblem. Midland currently Class 323 workhorse: this member of the class is at University, aheavily-used station rains in the West Midlands are soon The Invitation to Tender (p10, October Stoke but from December 2018 operates 26 units; another 17 are used on on the CrossCity route close to further education and medical facilities that is proposed to appear in a purple and orange issue) promises some exciting service will be routed direct down the West Coast the south side of Manchester and are due for remodelling to assist with crowd control. JO~iW~TE80USE Tlivery, marking out a new identity improvements, including two direct peak main line from to . to come off lease in 2018, when owner for the area. It is all part of an assertive to London trains. These will come ■ Improvement of evening services-after 19.00. Porterbrook has made clear its aspiration to Rail have a duty to ensure the condition of of the from Walsall to strategy on the part of the region, keen as part of major improvements in the concentrate the fleet in the West Midlands. stations does not deteriorate,'nobody looks is in-fill electrification of the sort seen in to make the'Midlands Engine' as high area in December 2018. The timetable Other developments due over the next An influx of EMUS would permit frequency at their strategic value to the community' the 1980s: not only will it allow upgrading profile as the Northern Powerhouse. change then is planned to include: couple of years include electrification improvements on the newly-electrified says Malcolm Holmes, West Midlands Rail's of the local service, it will also give another This is the first time the Department for ■ A doubling in the off-peak frequency to Bromsgrove and on the Chase line Chase line, although whether the bidders will Acting Programme Director.'Our proposal electrified alternative route for occasions Transport has mandated the use of a brand: on the Birmingham to Shrewsbury line, between Walsall and Rugeley, along with retain an opening for the more.than 20-year is to establish station alliances between when the is blocked by the West Midlands Railway branding will be from one to two services per hour. opening of Kenilworth station as part of old '323s', which would need modification WMR,the operator and NR -and private engineering work. A further bonus is that applied to local services in the new franchise ■ An extension of one of the two Birmingham - the NUCKLE project(see page 58). to keep to the new mobility rules due in sector third parties where appropriate. The gauge enhancement undertaken as part set to take over from the current London stopping services each hour Further improvements are due to come 2020, remains to be seen. One factor in partners could then co-operate on promoting of the electrification work enhances the Midland operation in October 2017, for which to Crewe via Stoke-onTrent. This will fill a gap in subsequent timetable changes, with their favour is their fleetness of foot: the their usefulness as community hubs.' prospects for possible freight services to the Abellio (with East Japan Railway Co and left by diversion of 's Euston substantial alterations pencilled in for rapid acceleration of the units is legendary A pioneering case will be Wolverhampton, Pentalver container terminal at . Mitsui) and incumbent Govia are competing. to Crewe semi-fasts, which currently run via December 2021. Sunday services will be one (recently-built units cannot keep up), where responsibility for the station is to The Chase line finish date is notionally making the Hunslet-built trains a favourite move from long distance operator Virgin December 2017, although bidders for the • for the demanding CrossCity schedules. West Coast to the West Midlands franchisee. West Midlands franchise have been warned ~/e5t Concentrating small fleets in one depot This reflects the part the station will play that it might not be completed until A A:.JI...... J.. makes a lot of sense from a maintenance as part of a developing local transport May 2019. At any rate, local planners have point of view: another type suggested for multi-modal hub, where WMR believes that not reckoned on frequency improvements this treatment is Class 172. Again, the bulk the close proximity of the bus station and until the May 2018 timetable, when a of the fleet is already in the Midlands, with the coming extension of the Midland Metro possible influx of EMUS into the region 27 units operating out of Tyseley. London tram to the rail station make it from Manchester could take place Overground has eight for the Gospel Oak to an opportunity too good to be missed. when Northern's 17 Class 323s come Barking route: these are due to be replaced off lease. Cascaded Class 321s or 319s by EMUS next year after wiring of the route. ELECTRIfTCATION are other possibilities for the Chase Chiltern has four, but they have an operating A new station opened at Bromsgrove on line - or indeed new trains altogether. • constraint on this franchise: the design of 12 July 2016. This will form the southern The aim is to double off-peak frequency the bogie precludes the fitting of tripcocks, terminus of the CrossCity Jine when from hourly to twice hourly, with so they are barred from the Amersham line electrification is extended here from superior acceleration resulting in shorter and restricted to Gerrards Cross services. Barnt Green over the notorious Lickey journey times. Introduction of EMUS on The Class 350 electric units are another incline, which is due to be completed by the Chase line will free up four DMUs casein point. London Midland has the lion's December 2017. Provided this schedule for use elsewhere in the franchise. share of the fleet(77 units), but the is kept, the May 2018 timetable change Further electrification in the region 10 units of sub-class 350/4 are operated by will see three CrossCity trains per hour depends on progress elsewhere in the TransPennine Express on the Manchester to extended from Longbridge to terminate country. Notionally, -Birmingham - Scotland route. With these set to be replaced in a dedicated platform at Bromsgrove. Bristol would have been next in the by new trains, all the Class 350s might be The other three out of the six hourly queue after the and j concentrated in the West Midlands franchise. CrossCity trains terminate at Redditch. the trans-Pennine route, but with wires One definite change is that London Service was stepped up here in north of Kettering now being called into Midland's fleet of 3x2-car Class 150 DMUs December 2014 following redoubling of part doubt, the cross-country electrification is set to move to Northern under plans for of the Redditch branch around Alvechurch. seems once again to be receding over the that franchise. In the short term at least, At the northern end of the route, two trains horizon. One vaunted Midlands Engine these will be replaced by six single-car an hour turn round at Four Oaks, two at aim is to improve links between the East Class 153s from . City and two at Lichfield Trent Valley. and West Midlands -improving on the While masts are going up on the southern pedestrian 1hr 15min timings between STATIONS edge of the conurbation to serve Bromsgrove, Birmingham and Nottingham for example - Stations will bean area of focus in the new another electrification project is proceeding but it seems it would be unwise to count on franchise. While train operators and Network on the opposite side of Birmingham. Wiring electrification to help make that happen.

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Rnr~looi~"• +tio !'~mn Nill rhnrrlc wro dri link tha fnrmo~ ~~~.~i~..a onihuav rni ifo nn thA hinh loyal in 'Camp Hill' line from King's Norton to Water Orton crosses over the top of the ex-Great Western London to Moor Street main line, is the key to unlocking the potential of several routes in the West Midlands. Bordesley station would be closed (or relocated) to free y ' up the required space for the chord. o , Not only would there be the opportunity o f to introduce local services from poorly o f served parts of Birmingham's south v v c~i ~ western quadrant (a proposal which on its own does not quite justify major investment on the scale of Midlands Rail Hub), there would also be the chance to increase capacity on inter-regional routes. Services from Nottingham, Leicester, Worcester and could ~'. be rerouted into Moor Street, freeing up , space on the approaches to New Street. ~ Z~ a~ The project would use the existing o~a T ' 3~I lightly-used terminal platforms 3 and 4 Y Z~ at Moor Street, along with the disused platform 5 and a new platform 6 to be inserted on the west side of the formation. Chiltern has an aspiration to extend all its trains from London to Snow Hill, a station well placed for Birmingham's business and financial district, rather than having the 000 fast trains from Marylebone terminate at Moor Street. Capacity constraints in the tunnel between Moor Street and Snow Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Hill and platform space issues at Snow and its partners in the Midlands Connect Hill have precluded this so far, so the consortium are pressing for the Midlands Midlands Rail Hub proposes solving this to Rail Hub concept to be embraced, as this free up the bay platforms at Moor Street would unlock capacity in Birmingham for services off the Camp Hill chord. city centre and make trains flow more The way this would be done is to convert freely through the area.'The Birmingham the former Midland Metro terminating v New Street Gateway rebuilding has platform at Snow Hill, disused since the light Y a~ I quadrupled the passenger circulation rail line was projected into the city centre z area in the station, but it hasn't addressed streets, into a heavy rail platform (No 4). o• o~~ o the key issue of lack of track capacity' Also needed would be additional signalling ~ "s o ~° v ~ ~ ~ explains Toby Rackliff, Rail Policy & in the station area, especially in the tunnel 0 9° Strategy Manager with Transport for the between Snow Hill and Moor Street, and v ~ ~ m • • I ~ West Midlands (TfWM), a division of WMCA. improvements to stabling sidings. oz3" «& oa 'During the rebuilding New Street Extra capacity would be needed further TD station worked with one platform out of out, too. The Water Orton corridor, currently ~ O r use, which showed it is not a question of a mixture of three and four tracks, would ~aE;vm= a`E platform capacity -rather, you cannot get need quadrupling up to the junction Y more trains in and out of the station. The where the line splits into routes to Derby foundations of the Bullring shopping centre ~ and Leicester. This had originally been E Moor Street: the Midlands Rail Hub project would see platform 5 brought back into use, preclude widening the approach tunnels, proposed for the resignalling that took a ~ plus a new plafform 6 built on the right hand side here. JOffi~i WHI'PEHOUSE so some other solution has to be found: place a few years back, but unfortunately ~ e E ~ o~ _ o a ~g was descoped out of that project. °E z f a After the cross-country route would now, at over 36%,is almost level-pegging MIDLANDS RAIL HUB Also included in the Midlands Rail Hub come the and then the with cars. expects employment That solution is the Midlands Rail Hub: an would be improved access to the freight Y W I I I''~ Snow Hill suburban services would be growth in the city centre to be the dominant elegant project that would divert traffic terminals at Kingsbury and Birch Coppice converted to EMUS, but again when this factor driving demand increases in the away from New Street to the other central to minimise the impact of freight train might happen is anyone's guess now. future, rather than modal transfer. Birmingham stations at Moor Street .movements on overall line capacity. Making provision for these extra numbers and Snow Hill, where extra capacity can Total bill for this imaginative set of II~iCREASII~iG PATRONAGE on the trains is a key concern of local transport more easily be provided. The programme proposals is around £700 million. The As in other urban areas, Birmingham has seen planners. Bidders for the new franchise are could provide up to 10 extra train paths Midlands Rail Hub is in Network Rail's draft E ~ a dramatic increase in rail usage in recent required to provide extra capacity equivalent per hour into central Birmingham. West Midlands and Chiltern Route study, o Q years. Since the turn of the century, passenger to 137 vehicles by 2022,for longer trains The scheme requires the construction but not funded as yet. TfWM is pushing to °' journeys in the West Midlands metropolitan area and more frequent services. The DfT says of the Bordesley chords, a suggestion get the Hub in the programme for Control '~€ have more than doubled, up from 22.8 million this will provide more than 30%additional long on the drawing board but which has Period 6(2019-24), with the aim of having w Zd - "oa in 2000/01 to 53.7 million in 2015/16. peak capacity in the West Midlands area. become ever more sensible as traffic has it in place when extra local rail capacity will ~ "I ~aE Rail's share of the peak Birmingham travel To complement the extra trains, more risen. A chord line linking railway lines be required in the West Midlands to cater Y ~o market surpassed that of buses in 2011 and infrastructure will soon be required. West in the Bordesley area, where the former for demand generated by the arrival of HS2

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connections to the capital with today's WMCA is closely studying HS2 as it via the Sheffield city centre station Toby Rackliff.'That means Birmingham Virgin High Frequency three trains per develops, with reference to impacts on the rather than Meadowhall could also be Airport will be in London Zone 4, hour London service, but the 20-minute West Midlands. There was dismay when the substantial: 'This could add half an hour timewise: Eat your heart out, Heathrow. frequency is operationally problematic link to HS1 was axed, as it was thought that to a Birmingham to Leeds journey'. All this is, of course, some way off. on the line through Hampton-in-Arden, as the Birmingham -Paris route could support However, whilst questioning some of For the present, the West Midlands is other services on the route operate on a three through trains a day (IeaVing aside the the details, the West Midlands region is concentrating on the potential of the half-hour pattern and the two do not mesh. synergies that.might develop through,for fully behind HS2 as a concept, believing forthcoming franchise starting next With much of the London traffic example, a Kent to Old Oak Common service). that the potential benefits are often October. This will expire in March 2026, transferring to HS2 when it opens, 'There is now not even passive provision for an underestimated by the general public. ready for the next operator to take demand will be such that a return to a HS1-HS2 link in the future' sighs Mr Rackliff. 'It'll be half an hour from Birmingham full advantage of the implications of half-hourly frequency on the historic The implications of Birmingham's HS2 Interchange station to the the arrival of HS2 at Curzon Street route would be justifiable -even if services to Leeds potentially running interchange at Old Oak Common' observes in December of that year. m perhaps a little unpalatable to the city fathers of Coventry (although planners argue that driving to on HS2 will be a cinch). In the past decade the West Midlands has had less specfication for the franchise and helped write where services are devolved,they work very well for This would allow ahalf-hourly pattern influence over its local railways than it did in British the Invitation toTender. Requirements include passengers and the local economy'says Mr Holmes. to be the general rule, increasing capacity Rail days,when the old Section 20 agreements extension of wi-fi to all trains(except those on the While the oversight ofthe local networkwiil be a overall. With a slight easing of schedule for were in force.'The London Midland franchise is Stourbridge branch,which at 13km in length and a central concern,WMR will also have a relationship the remaining Pendolino services, passenger monitored by someone in Great Minster House in journeytime ofthree minutes,doesn't leave much with other operators.'We want to set up an alliance train paths per hour could increase from Westminster. how does he know what this region time to loq on!), plus greater use ofsmart ticketing. with train operators and Network Rail that would 9 to 12 with a further two paths available for wants and needs?'asks West Midlands Rail's Actinq The new operator will be required to set up two have an overview of all the services in the region. freight via Stechford. The draft Route study Programme Director Malcolm Holmes. separable business units within a year,allowing For example, we might want earlier services to proposes uses for these paths (see diagram This is about to be remedied.West Midlands the possibility ofthe West Midlands local network Birmingham International for early morning flights: Snow Hill: this low-level tram platform, seen in use last year, is no longer required by Midland Metro below), with the Birmingham International Rail(WMR) is a partnership of local authorities, being hived off in the future. WMR will lead the at the moment the timetable planners are the only since trams were extended over the city centre streets. The Midlands Rail Hub project to New Street local service doubling in including the West Midlands Combined Authority franchise managementforthe services in the local peoplefrom all theTOCs and Network Rail that would see it converted into a new through heavy rail platform 4.J08NWffiTE80USE frequency toquarter-hourly and extended and neighbouring shire and unitary districts,that business unit and these services will be branded in would come together and look at this, but they on towards Wolverhampton. This, coupled will play a role in overseeing the new franchise due WMR colours. don't have any responsibilityfortaking a widerview at Curzon Street in 2026. The interchange like a Midlands version of King's Cross/St with new through services to Walsall, would to start in October 2017.WMR has collaborated The parallels with London Overground are clear. ofwhereyou can getto and from in the region in between New Street and Moor Street Pancras, with New Street closer than Euston dramatically improve links between the with the DepartmentforTransport over the `The evidence from London and elsewhere is that the early morning: services planned as part of the Midlands is down the Euston Road in London. And Black Country and . Rail Hub at King's Norton (where the central figuratively, because the changing flows Another winner could be the CrossCountry platforms would be reinstated) could give that will be consequent on the opening of service running towards Oxford and Reading. um~sm~ useful access to HS2 from Birmingham's the new high speed route will have profound Currently, track capacity constraints mean w~aywood south-west quadrant, as Moor Street is right implications for historic routes in the area. there is one train per hour on the Kenilworth Barlasron Srone next door to HS2's Curzon Street station. 'Critically, just as the canals, railways route Norton Badge ~ West Midlards5epnrable Business Und and and another on the line via . AAFFORD motorways before it, HS2 will put the West The former, which goes via both Birmingham 3 WestCwrtSeparable Business Unit HS2 Midlands at the heart of Britain's 21st century Airport and Coventry, presents the better o wMsau sr~ HS2 will alter o wcsausunw~ the landscape of Birmingham's transport network' says Toby Rackliff. traffic opportunities, so ideally both trains RugeleyTrentValley railways, both literally and figuratively. Importantly, HS2 will free up capacity would run this way, doubling the frequency O Other Station Literally, because the Curzon Street on the congested Coventry to New Street of services via this route to Oxford and the RugeleyTown Penkridge ~~~ terminus with adjacent Moor Street will be corridor. Birmingham has excellent Thames Valley and restoring direct inter-city ~~~ Lichfield Trent Valley services from Coventry and Birmingham ~~r9O0d fiddxld Gry 0 Bbawidi Noah Shenstone Airport to Derby, Yorkshire and North East o - a Bbxwich Blake Street 8 Iutlers Lane . The post-HS2 changes could render ~ ~ ~ < B m WNSAII ~~~~ Services operated into central Birmingham by operator (average weekday) this feasible, but it would also require the BescotStadium ~tt~~~~ TamwoNi Tame Bridge Pky WyldeGmen completion of the Coventry -Leamington Hamstead ~~erRoad Wilnecote0 ~~~ capacity scheme (deferred in the Heady r _ Perty Bart Erdington A~~~ London Midland 1,197 60.9 3 ~ Wrtton G2velly Hill Review) to redouble the line between Cdeshill Pky Nuneaton 'd BIRMINGHAM O CrossCountry 419 21.3 Kenilworth and Milverton Junction. SNOW HILL Duddes[on WaterOrton ~ SmethvrickGahon Badge Other opportunities consequent on the NEWS1AEEf AdderleyPark Bermuda Park Virgin West Coast 152 7.7 Langley Green Stech(ord ,. opening of HS2 include a fast commuter Smethwick BIRMING ~~~ Lea Hall ~~ Chiltern Railways 133 6.8 r~~s aorc~sc .. . . service between Birmingham and Milton ad wii F~W~ M~~~ Small Heath Marston Green Uniu ,rsm, Tyseky BIRMINGHAM Arrives Trains Wales 66 3.4 Keynes. Currently, Virgin Trains from New Gadley Heath Acaks Green 'irrrersNanonn~ CrnemryArena Hamprorri-A Street don't stop at MK in the morning peak, ~re seiryoat 5~~~ Ohon 'Q, COVEMRY Ru Total 1,967 HaIlGreen Solihull 9~ ~0~9~~Y Stou~riclgeTam so that peak capacity can be maximised StourlxidgeJn ~mville Yardley Woad WdneyMarwr — ~ ~' Source: West Midlands Rail for the West Coast route as a whole. Hagky IGrgs Norton Shirley ~0"d9e ~ ~ 3 ~~~~ Whitlodcs End ~yP~h KeniM~orth ~k~~ Northfield Wythall Central Adderley Lea Marston Bifmingham Hampmn- Tile ~~9 Longbridge Eadswood Hatton -~ Birmingham Park Stechford Hall Green Imematlonal IirArden Berkswell Hill Canley Coventry Rugby g~~y Northampton IGdderminster The takes Leamington Spa ~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ BamtGreen Wood End Oaverdon Warvrick Waiwidc ~ § .R ' „ ~ ~ ~ .. HaNebury ~~ Parkway Wolverton T ~ E ~ ~` ~, g r& Wolverhampton _ _. - - -London Euston Wohrerhampton ... - - -London Eus[on Droitvdch Spa A~ Henley-irrArclen Bearley MILTON I~YNES~LlRAL LL ~ ~ Wolverhampton _. . Bromsgrove lurch a ~ ~ E ~ ` m WoNerhamp[on _ _. W°°tt°" Wa'"m Ble[chley 7R~SfERFOREGHTE5IREET Worcerter5hrub Hill Malvern link ~~rt~ Wlmcore Leighton Buaard Shrewsbury. _. ... London Euston Great Malvern Stratfordvpon-Avon Parkway Cheddington Wolverhampron - - - ~ _ .. Bandon Euston Walsall _ _ - Colwall Tmg Walsall _ .. LedbuiY Malvern - S7RgTFORUUPON-AVON ~y~Ey ~ ~ a Newcastle ... HEHEFORD Manchester Piccadilly _ _ f Hemel Hempstead 3 Ms~cy E 5 ffi 3 ~ B _Reading (or beyond) . _. Bournemouth IGngs laigley 3 ~ ~ ~ q ¢ Fastservke Crosscountry WaNadlurxtion Kenilworth Leamington Bushey Semi-fastservice Freight ~ Harroward Wealdstone S[cmping service Extra capacity for local services: post-HS2 path usage on the New Street WemblryCentral to Birmingham International corridor proposed in the Draft Route Study. ~oriooN EusTON

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