Mayor says Government’s funding for key rail and road projects will drive growth, opportunity and better journeys

Mayor Richard Parker said the Government's announcement today (Tuesday July 8) of funding for the Midlands Rail Hub and M54 - M6 link road projects will transform the region, driving growth, opportunity and better journeys. The Midlands Rail Hub will add up to 300 trains a day to the West Midlands rail network and improve services between Birmingham and more than 50 locations across the Midlands and Wales. The M54-M6 Link Road will provide faster journeys and improved connections for thousands of people and businesses in the Black Country and surrounding shires.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands and Maria Machancoses, Chief Executive of Midlands Connect at Kings Norton station which will be upgraded as part of the Midlands Rail Hub project

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: "This is a fantastic day for our region, and I want to thank the Government for backing the Midlands Rail Hub and M54- M6 Link Road with the investment they need. This is the sort of national commitment that gives people confidence in our ability to create jobs, build homes and connect communities across the Midlands. "This will transform the region, drive growth and opportunity in every community - and help us deliver better journeys for everyone.

It shows what we can achieve when government, mayors, local leaders and our partners work together for the good of the Midlands." The Midlands Rail Hub involves around a dozen infrastructure improvements to the Midlands rail network including two major new junctions on the approach to Birmingham city centre. The work will allow for faster, better and more frequent rail connections across the region adding up to 20 million extra seats for passengers.

It is also expected to see the transformation of a disused platform at Snow Hill station in Birmingham and upgrades at Kings Norton station. Funding for both the Midlands Rail Hub and the M54-M6 Link Road was announced today by Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander as part of a funding package for more than 50 road and rail upgrades[1] supporting over 39,000 new homes and 42,000 jobs. The Transport Secretary said funding for the projects was part of the Government's Plan for Change to boost economic growth and build 1.5 million more houses over five years.  

She said journey times would be slashed, saving commuters, businesses, and freight thousands of hours every week, and boosting economic growth across the whole country.   

The new transport infrastructure commitments are backed by ?92 billion of government funding to invest in more projects across England, including record levels of funding for upgrading road and rail networks.

References

1. ^ 50 road and rail upgrades (www.gov.uk)