A new report released by Midlands Connect has named a series of towns and cities along the Midlands Rail Hub route that could see a boost of 14 billon GBP every year by closing the productivity gap with the rest of England.
The report shows that productivity is currently up to 21% lower along the Midlands Rail Hub route, with Midlands Connect proposing an increase in transport investment within the region to reduce journey times between both urban and industrial centres.
The list of cities that would benefit from the plan to raise productivity are listed in the report as follows:
- Birmingham currently 16% worse than average → £6.6bn per year
- Nottingham currently 19% worse than average → £2.8bn per year
- Leicester currently 15% worse than average → £1.8bn per year
- Derby currently 9% worse than average → £0.9bn per year
- Hereford currently 21% worse than average → £0.3bn per year
- Gloucester currently 21% worse than average → £1.0bn per year
- Cheltenham currently 6% worse than average → £0.3bn per year
- Worcester currently 9% worse than average → £0.4bn per year
To improve connectivity, Midlands Rail Hub has proposed the building of two ‘chords’, as well as 10+ engineering interventions throughout the region to offer up to 20 million extra seats for passengers and up to 300 extra trains per day.
Of the two; the West Chord would consist of improvements between Bordesley and Moor Street, which would allow access to Birmingham Moor Street from the South-West and Wales, as well as improve services along both the Hereford and Worcester corridors.
The East Chord would create access to Birmingham Moor Street from the East Midlands.
West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said:The West Midlands is the heart of the national rail network, yet years of underinvestment has led to bottlenecks in our system. Trains are overcrowded and routes are underserved. This is stifling transport links and growth for the region and for the whole of the UK.
The Midlands Rail Hub is the investment the region, and the UK, needs. It will open up routes across the Midlands and beyond, giving passengers more reliable and frequent services with shorter journey times.
It will improve links to key locations such as Swindon, Cardiff, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham while connecting more of our local communities to the rail network. This is our vision for the future – one where residents have a faster, greener and more reliable way to access jobs, education and healthcare while contributing to the economic growth we so badly need.
The project will also support over 20,000 new homes built each year in locations such as Worcestershire Parkway and Ashchurch for Tewkesbury, as well as create 300+ apprenticeships and 13,000 jobs as part of the supply chain.
Midlands Connect’s CEO Maria Machancoses said:The government investment to improve the Midlands and beyond connectivity through the Midlands Rail Hub is an investment in unlocking its people, its productivity and its economy. The plans and the potential are in place, now we need to make it happen.
The proposed Midlands Rail Hub programme looks to improve overall rail connectivity and boost economic growth across the Midlands and towards the South-West through a series of new infrastructure projects across the region.
