Shortlisted locations for new railway stations in the West Midlands have been earmarked funding of £1 million to develop proposals.
The new railway stations at Castle Bromwich, Coventry East and near Tettenhall were shortlisted following a feasibility study being completed that found that new stations could provide much needed improvements for passengers.
All three stations would be located on existing railway lines but are in areas with a lack of rapid transport links.
Castle Bromwich would see a station that was closed in 1968 re-opened, and would be on the line between Birmingham and Leicester / Nottingham.
Coventry East is on the line between Coventry and Rugby, providing a new station for the residents and businesses in the Binley / Willenhall area.
Finally, a new station between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury would see passengers gain an extra station between Tettenhall, Claregate and Pendeford.
The West Midlands Rail Executive says that proposed stations that did not make the shortlist could be reconsidered once the Midlands Rail Hub, which is set to increase capacity between the East and West Midlands via Moor Street, is under construction.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMRE Chair, said: “With five new railway stations under construction and a sixth on the way, we’re getting on with delivering the transport infrastructure local people want to see right across our region.
“We’ve now whittled down our list of stations to a priority list of these three at Castle Bromwich, Coventry East and Tettenhall – as these are the ones most likely to deliver the biggest benefit to the communities they serve. For those locations which did not make the shortlist, we’re still looking at ways to bring forward delivery.
“The £1.7 billion Midland Rail Hub scheme – now fully funded by Government – may provide an avenue and will certainly be a game changer enabling us to connect even more towns and communities to the rail network.
“New rail infrastructure can be transformative for an area – offering residents sustainable and convenient access to rapid and reliable public transport. That’s why it’s good news that local people will benefit from these stations very soon.”
Responses
Castle Bromwich, one of the most stupid closures of the 1960s. At the time it closed the council were in the middle of building the Castle Vale and Bromford Bridge estates either side of it. Their combined population was 15,000, not to mention the other people already in the area and at that time large factories such as Fort Dunlop.
There is a really big issue with the Tettenhall station in Wolverhampton…. Its not in Tettenhall!
The only station Tettenhall ever had was closed in the 1920s and was on the now beeching axed line that was mainly freight from North Wolverhampton through Staffordshire via womboune.
The station they are calling Tettenhall will be in Clare gate / Pendeford and is only about 2 minutes from Bilbrook and about 5 minutes from Codsall.
Its a barmy waste of Money as there will be very little parking and serves no purpose whatsoever.
Another vanity project.
That confused me as well. Very often railway stations have been built away from the settlement shown in the station title, then railway workers and enthusiasts give the wrong name to the village where the station is located – perhaps the best example being “Daventry” given to DIRFT which is actually 10km from Daventry.