Powering the Midlands Engine
Passengers, communities and businesses in the Midlands will benefit from big changes happening on our railway.
Big Changes in 2020
Trains
- On East Midlands Railway a new half-hourly service from St Pancras International-Luton-Corby
- Continued rollout by West Midlands Trains of 180 new train carriages and standing room for an extra 50,000 passengers to and from Birmingham in Metro style carriages
- Faster journeys on CrossCountry routes between the Midlands and North East of England
Stations, tracks, depots
- Station improvements underway at Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford, Market Harborough, Kidderminster, Warwick and Banbury
- Continued rollout by West Midlands Trains of 180 new train carriages and room for 50,000 extra passengers to and from Birmingham in metro style carriages
- 200 new train crew now on West Midlands Trains
Communities
- East Midlands Railway will manage 30 preapprenticeships for local young people and host 25 employability masterclasses at schools
- Birmingham New Street station now has a dedicated waiting lounge and team to support additional mobility and sensory needs
- Chiltern Railways will be trialling a greener and noisereducing hybrid battery-diesel train
Major upgrade work
- Electrification of the Midland Main Line to Corby will go live in 2020
- New Wolverhampton Interchange Project is on track to open for customers in Summer 2020 as part of a £150 million transport hub
Changes happening now in the Midlands
Below are press releases from rail companies in the Midlands promoting changes and improvements happening in the area.
![Network Rail staff]()
Network Rail announces £640m contract awards to deliver design servicesNetwork Rail has announced the award of 82 framework contracts to deliver design services across the country, worth an...
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Rowley Regis tunnel repairs to make railway more reliable for passengersAn historic railway tunnel in the West Midlands is being made more reliable for passengers this month. Two million pounds is...
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Network Rail launches action plan for working with small and medium businessesNetwork Rail has published its plan of action for working more effectively and closely with small and medium enterprises...
![DB Cargo train]()
DB Cargo UK runs first trains into Washwood Heath for TarmacDB Cargo UK has made its first delivery of aggregate to the site of a new state-of-the-art asphalt facility under construction...
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DB Cargo UK to run new service to East Midlands Gateway TerminalThe first commercial service arrived in to the new terminal from the Port of Felixstowe on Tuesday, January 7th and will...
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Lift improvement works at Smethwick Galton BridgeThe works, which are being carried out by Network Rail, will renew all the lifts at the station to improve their reliability....
People across the Midlands support rail companies’ proposals for change
The rail industry recognise the need for big changes, that's why together we submitted proposals for a radical alternative to the current franchising system to the independently-chaired Williams review looking into the future of Britain's railway. We proposed for a more customer focussed, joined-up and accountable railway.
See what’s happening elsewhere in Britain
What big changes do you want?
Rail companies are calling for big changes but what matters to you?
