Midlands Rail Hub £1.75bn plan enters delivery phase
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The Midlands Rail Hub has entered a pivotal phase with the announcement of its preferred delivery partners, marking a major milestone for one of the UK’s most significant regional rail upgrades. With an estimated total cost of £1.75billion, the scheme is set to overhaul rail services in and around Birmingham and transform connectivity across the Midlands.
Network Rail confirmed the appointment of VolkerRail, Laing O’Rourke, AtkinsRéalis, and Siemens Mobility as strategic partners. These firms will work with Network Rail in a collaborative alliance model to oversee design, development, and eventual construction. Their remit includes infrastructure planning, civil engineering, signalling, and station upgrades.
The project is backed by the UK Government, which allocated £123million in 2024 for initial development. This formed part of a wider strategy to reallocate resources from the scaled-back HS2 programme under the Network North initiative. The 2025 Comprehensive Spending Review confirmed additional funding, enabling the scheme to proceed at full scale.
The Midlands Rail Hub is positioned to deliver both economic and environmental benefits by easing congestion, supporting new housing, and expanding access to employment across the region. Stakeholders, including Midlands Connect and the West Midlands Rail Executive, regard the project as a long-awaited move from planning to implementation.
Birmingham’s three-station strategy to unlock regional links
At the heart of the Midlands Rail Hub is an ambitious strategy to improve connections between Birmingham’s three primary stations, New Street, Moor Street, and Snow Hill. These upgrades aim to manage increasing passenger numbers while better integrating previously disconnected services.
A central feature of the plan is the creation of two new rail chords at Bordesley. These will link the Chiltern Main Line with the Camp Hill lines, allowing more direct services to Moor Street from the South West and East Midlands. This approach is designed to ease pressure on New Street, one of the busiest stations in the country, by redistributing services and capacity.
Moor Street will also undergo upgrades to support the anticipated increase in traffic, reinforcing its role as a key Birmingham gateway. Improvements to Snow Hill and its corridors will help rebalance rail usage across the city.
The tri-station upgrade is expected to support up to 300 additional trains per day and provide 20 million more passenger seats annually. It will also enable new or enhanced services for over 50 locations, supporting the development of an integrated and responsive transport network.
Technical interventions set to deliver real-world benefits
The Midlands Rail Hub includes several targeted technical upgrades to deliver immediate improvements. Some of these works are already in progress.
At Snow Hill station, platform4 is being reopened, allowing more direct services to London Marylebone. This move is expected to increase capacity and offer a viable alternative to New Street.
At Kings Norton, redevelopment of the station and its approaches will unlock further capacity along the Cross City Line. These enhancements will support additional routes and underpin wider infrastructure changes across the region.
The construction of the Bordesley chords will improve journey times and enable more frequent services by allowing direct links that bypass current bottlenecks. Together, these improvements are designed to enhance service reliability and passenger experience ahead of the project’s full completion.
Long-term impact on jobs, housing, and regional economies
Beyond transport, the Midlands Rail Hub is expected to contribute to the regional economy and job creation. Midlands Connect estimates that the scheme could generate £240million in supply-chain value and £45million in social value through local employment and training.
Around 13,000 jobs will be supported during construction, including more than 300 apprenticeships. These opportunities cover a range of disciplines including engineering, planning, and project delivery, helping to develop the next generation of infrastructure professionals.
Improved rail access is likely to unlock large-scale housing developments by removing connectivity barriers. The scheme is also expected to expand access to regional job markets and support economic growth across both urban and rural communities.
For public and private stakeholders alike, the wider regional benefits form a compelling case for sustained investment in the rail network.
Following the £123million released in 2024, further investment was confirmed in 2025 to support design and planning. The alliance partners are now progressing with early-phase work to prepare for full construction.
The timeline aims to see the first passenger benefits realised by the early 2030s. These will include faster, more frequent journeys, new services, and better access across the network. The Bordesley chords and station upgrades form critical milestones on the path to full delivery.
The Midlands Rail Hub stands as a multi-decade investment in connectivity, productivity, and sustainability. With funding secured and partnerships established, it represents a turning point for the region’s rail future.
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