Midlands Rail Hub 20m extra seats

[172007]

tlThe current £1B + tender for the camphill flyover and Moor Street works that require Bordesley to close quote a completion date of early 2030'a so 2029 is consistent with that project.

 

[DelW]

Here we have a station which, in February 2026, has been proposed to be closed in (almost exactly) 5 months time. Excluding any engineering works or, unusually for this station, an extended service on match days - there will be approximately 22 more trains between now and its closure.

I think your arithmetic has gone a bit awry, I make it 3 years and 4 months to 4th June 2029.

 

[172007]

Are there any known high-level plans for how this will all be done?
Is platform 4 reopening at Snow Hill one of the first things in the plan?

No one ia aware of any formal plan amd google searches and Network Raik web site some up blank.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Feb 2026 ==

In a

 

[Smethwickian]

Regarding the use of Bordesley on match days at Birmingham City FC, although I know nothing about association football, I was under the distinct impression from local news reports that the club had confirmed plans to move to a new sports stadium on the former Birmingham Wheels site, further from Bordesley but much closer to Adderley Park railway station. Is that not the case?

 

[Cross City]

Brum local and Blues fan.

I won't ever use Bordesley because it's an absolute death trap on a matchday with the number of people that want to use it combined with that narrow staircase and narrow platform. There's no way of making a queuing system at street level so all they can do for crowd control is having one poor bloke close the gate, imagine the aggro this causes.

As a part of the new stadium complex there will be a redeveloped Adderley St station, as well as the metro extension. Duddeston will also only be a 10-15 minute walk away so there will be almost direct access to the Cross City Line.

The Metro extension is slated to be done up to the new stadium in time for opening so yes there will likely be a year or so between Bordesley station closing and the new stadium opening where there is no rail service. It won't be a major loss anyway; most people just walk from town or make use of the free shuttle bus from New St station.

 

[03_179]

Would barely fill a 3 car 172 on a Saturday, so we're talking 100-150 passengers. So not many fans actually use it.

I did it in 2025 and hung around on the station with the security staff for about 5 trains.
EVERY one was full and standing and emptied out. Luckily I had boarded at Stratford Upon Avon,

The station is barren but has it's own charm (if you like that sort of thing).
I have seen elsewhere (I think it was a youtube vid) that once works have been completed to build the Bordesley Chord a station will be built just south of it's present location.

 

[pdeaves]

I am interested in the timing of this announcement. Unless I am very much mistaken, posters went up almost immediately the station operator changed to (nationalised) WM Trains. Is this timing coincidental (it would have happened anyway under old West Midlands Trains) or indicative of the way we will do things in the brave new future (some stations could be seen as expendable)?

 

[The Planner]

I am interested in the timing of this announcement. Unless I am very much mistaken, posters went up almost immediately the station operator changed to (nationalised) WM Trains. Is this timing coincidental (it would have happened anyway under old West Midlands Trains) or indicative of the way we will do things in the brave new future (some stations could be seen as expendable)?

Coincidence.

 

[flitwickbeds]

But it’s proposed for 2029 as per the poster, and also mentioned in reply #6.

It’ll likely take that long for the changes to the viaducts to be designed in any case…

I think your arithmetic has gone a bit awry, I make it 3 years and 4 months to 4th June 2029.

Oops! I didn't notice the year!

 

[Palmerston]

I have seen elsewhere (I think it was a youtube vid) that once works have been completed to build the Bordesley Chord a station will be built just south of it's present location.

That would be pretty close to Small Heath, which is hardly busy anyway.

 

[waverley47]

Coincidence.

I am interested in the timing of this announcement. Unless I am very much mistaken, posters went up almost immediately the station operator changed to (nationalised) WM Trains. Is this timing coincidental (it would have happened anyway under old West Midlands Trains) or indicative of the way we will do things in the brave new future (some stations could be seen as expendable)?

To expand on what Planner has said, this is a coincidence, although the optics could have been improved somewhat. A final set of drawings which outline what space can be used to build the chords have been submitted; those plans are not the final design of the chord, but the land that they can use to build the chord goes right through the middle of Bordesley station. As such, the station is going to need to go unless there are an overwhelming number of objections, and a fudge needs to be found.

It's expected the land that is currently the platform will be on a gradient and will be replaced by the large concrete abutment box at the Moot St end of the flyovers, and as such there won't be space for the platforms.

 

[Cross City]

Shame there's no plans for a station further into Digbeth, though I understand it'll be impractical for pathing. I wonder if a two-platform station at Mill St / Floodgate St where the disused 4 track line goes down to two was ever looked at?

 

[Palmerston]

There should be a Midland Metro station very close to there by the end of next year.

 

[Russel]

Where are the latest plans for the Midland Rail Hub?

Getting a bit confused as to what is actually happening...

 

[The Planner]

Where are the latest plans for the Midland Rail Hub?

Getting a bit confused as to what is actually happening...

Google comes up with enough results for it.

 

[Russel]

Google comes up with enough results for it.

Many of which may not be the most up to date proposals.

 

[Cross City]

There should be a Midland Metro station very close to there by the end of next year.

I know, but I’m greedy and want both.

 

[The Planner]

Many of which may not be the most up to date proposals.

Nothing has changed. Chords from Bordesley to the Camp Hills. New platforms at Moor St. P4 at Snow Hill. Kings Norton remodeling, extension of the slows towards Barnt Green. That is pretty much it.

 

[Russel]

Nothing has changed. Chords from Bordesley to the Camp Hills. New platforms at Moor St. P4 at Snow Hill. Kings Norton remodeling, extension of the slows towards Barnt Green. That is pretty much it.

Thanks.

Surprising to see nothing has changed though, these sort of projects usually get watered down over time.

 

[The Planner]

Thanks.

Surprising to see nothing has changed though, these sort of projects usually get watered down over time.

Bits of it have, there were meant to be tweaks at Stoke Works and the other side of Worcester, not sure those have survived.

 

[cle]

I think services towards the East are at a later phase - not sure if watered down or delayed - with the Camp Hill migration and the 'west' services (1 x extra to each of Bristol, Cardiff, Hereford as I recall) as first up.

Moor St might only get the one existing bay (5?) reinstated, vs the old side (6?) - but p4 Snow Hill seeing Chiltern extended out of the bays to open up more. Can't remember if the east-side bays (zero/minus) made the cut. They might be for Leicester etc anyway.

 

[trundlewagon]

I think services towards the East are at a later phase - not sure if watered down or delayed - with the Camp Hill migration and the 'west' services (1 x extra to each of Bristol, Cardiff, Hereford as I recall) as first up.

Moor St might only get the one existing bay (5?) reinstated, vs the old side (6?) - but p4 Snow Hill seeing Chiltern extended out of the bays to open up more. Can't remember if the east-side bays (zero/minus) made the cut. They might be for Leicester etc anyway.

The most recent update - from December - has a render of the extension on the Up side of Moor Street, so presumably the lot is getting done.

Major step forward as Midlands Rail Hub Alliance confirmed

The four partners which will design and develop the most transformative railway upgrade in the Midlands have been confirmed.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

 

[Cross City]

Yes I was also under the impression that the north and south Bordesley chords were being built and the whole thing done at once.

 

[The Planner]

Yes I was also under the impression that the north and south Bordesley chords were being built and the whole thing done at once.

Eastern part will definitely be later.

 

[3RDGEN]

The Eastern part is already under construction over the road at Curzon Street, plenty of spare platforms so why waste yet more money expanding Moor Street for the eastern works. Link HS2 to the Water Orton route, install conventional signaling and it's done, Curzon Street might even see trains before the mid 2030's if they do.

The £123 million granted to Midlands Hub is now nearly two years ago so must be running out, NPR got £1.1Billion for three years, lets hope there's some more money made available soon.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

The Eastern part is already under construction over the road at Curzon Street, plenty of spare platforms so why waste yet more money expanding Moor Street for the eastern works. Link HS2 to the Water Orton route, install conventional signaling and it's done, Curzon Street might even see trains before the mid 2030's if they do.

The £123 million granted to Midlands Hub is now nearly two years ago so must be running out, NPR got £1.1Billion for three years, lets hope there's some more money made available soon.

Why though? There's plenty of capacity at Snow Hill/Moor St with a little expansion. It's not wasting money, it would allow for SW/East Midlands connections to be removed from New St which IS at capacity.

Curzon St obviously won't be anywhere near capacity on launch, but that should be used for future HS growth to across the North.

 

[The Planner]

The Eastern part is already under construction over the road at Curzon Street, plenty of spare platforms so why waste yet more money expanding Moor Street for the eastern works. Link HS2 to the Water Orton route, install conventional signaling and it's done, Curzon Street might even see trains before the mid 2030's if they do.

The £123 million granted to Midlands Hub is now nearly two years ago so must be running out, NPR got £1.1Billion for three years, lets hope there's some more money made available soon.

Where and how?

 

[3RDGEN]

Why though? There's plenty of capacity at Snow Hill/Moor St with a little expansion. It's not wasting money, it would allow for SW/East Midlands connections to be removed from New St which IS at capacity.

Curzon St obviously won't be anywhere near capacity on launch, but that should be used for future HS growth to across the North.

"Future HS growth to the North" currently sometime in the mid 2040's, so about 20 years time until Curzon Street see's more than a few trains per hour to Old Oak Common?

The SW services would still serve Moor Street via the "west" curve, East Midlands would use Curzon St so same plan as now but without building the "East" platforms at Moor St. There's no plan for SW to East Midlands services reversing at Moor Street that I have seen mentioned since it would cause mainline conflicts.

Where and how?

HS2 is running alongside the existing route for a good distance so they could find a solution, if they can't find someone who can.

 

[trundlewagon]

HS2 is running alongside the existing route for a good distance so they could find a solution, if they can't find someone who can.

You know what HS2 could really do with? Another respec and redesign, just to make it take even longer to materialise and cost even more...

 

[cle]

Curzon St growth will be different, and needs space for north-facing services.

I love the fact that Moor St will have an explosion - if it gets 3 more platforms, and longer distance services to new places (plus Camp Hill locals freed from BNS) - it'll be such a new hive of activity. If they can add the Oxford service, that would also be a good thing.

If the eastern side happens, it does probably see the beginning of the severing of Nottingham-Cardiff, which doesn't have to be the same service really. Might make the most sense. But maybe it takes the Bristol, and all Cardiff goes to Moor St - or similar.