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.
![Father and daughter railway employees on track]()
Track-engineering father and son keep railway running safelyRailway upgrades by a father-and-son duo are today helping keep critical supplies and key workers moving across Britain. Over...
![Forklift loading goods onto truck]()
Network Rail supports army to deliver vital medical face masksRailway workers have driven hundreds of miles through the night to deliver two lorry loads of protective medical face masks...
![Repair works]()
Successful emergency landslip repair on target to reopen vital lineSuccessful emergency work to secure a landslip hit section of the rail line between Salisbury and Romsey will see the line on...
![Outpatient clinic chair]()
NHS outpatient clinic opens at Birmingham New StreetAn empty shop at Birmingham New Street station has become an NHS outpatient clinic for patients to have routine blood tests...
![You vs train promotional materials]()
BPT and Network Rail remind us of the dangers of the railwayWith schools closed for the foreseeable future, and parents seeking to fill their children’s time at home, British Transport...
![All industry logos in joint open letter, TOCs, FOCs, Network Rail and Unions]()
Together we are keeping the country connected for essential travelJoint rail industry open letter: These are exceptional times. COVID-19 is changing how everyone in the UK lives, works and...
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?
