Construction work on long-awaited new railway stations in Birmingham and the Black Country finally complete
Construction work on long-awaited new railway stations in Birmingham and the Black Country has finally been completed.
Mayor Richard Parker officially handed over the three stations on the Camp Hill line at Kings Heath, Moseley and Pineapple Road as well as two in Walsall at Willenhall and Darlaston to West Midlands Railway.
Work will now be carried out to ensure the stations are ready for passenger services, which will start running early in the new year.
All five stations were scheduled to be completed and open in 2024 but were hit with delays and soaring costs.
Once open to the public, it will mean passenger services returning to the Camp Hill line for the first time since the early 1940s.
The reopening of Willenhall and Darlaston will end a 60 year wait for services to return after they ended in 1965.
The stations have been delivered in partnership with the Department for Transport, West Midlands Railway and Network Rail, as well as Walsall and Birmingham City councils.
Mr Parker said: “It’s fabulous seeing the completion of these five new stations in the region.
“When I got elected, I inherited these projects which were massively overspent and delayed and we’ve had to get a grip of the delivery timetable, get all the stakeholders working to the same project plan and so I’m really pleased.”
The Mayor said work including driver training, testing and signalling will take place over the next few weeks to ensure they are ready and safe for passengers in the new year.
He added: “The services improve connectively and take congestion off the roads.
“They will help bring increased footfall to the places around it and they will help drive economic growth.”
Earlier this year, it emerged services calling at Willenhall and Darlaston might not go on to Walsall’s main station in the town centre, a proposal which Walsall Council deputy leader Adrian Andrew described as ‘bonkers’.
No final decision has been made on timetables and Mr Parker said he was in dialogue with the Department for Transport (DfT) about the issue.
He said: “I made the Black Country a priority when I was campaigning and it remains so in terms of creating new jobs and economic opportunities and we know how critical transport is to that.
“The two new stations will help Walsall’s economy and people in this part of the region get about more quickly and more efficiently than before.
“I’m working closely with the minister for rail and officials at the DfT to get the support and funding we need to connect the trains running through Willenhall and Darlaston to Walsall.
“I’m also working the leader and deputy leader of Walsall Council. We put a very strong case forward and there’s ongoing technical work now assessing the business case for those lines.”
Denise Wetton, Network Rail’s central route director, said: “These five new stations are great additions to the West Midlands rail network, better connecting people and communities to new journeys and opportunities.
“We are working closely with all our partners to make them a reality and can’t wait for trains to start running, carrying new passengers to new destinations across the region.”
In July 2024, Transport for West Midlands announced the Camp Hill scheme, alongside a raft of other major projects in the region, was to be delayed by a year in the wake of £121 million budget pressures as a result of soaring costs.
This was the second delay to hit the project after it was originally due to be scheduled for completion in 2023.
The news prompted West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker to call for a review of all current and planned projects, saying he had concerns over the funding, delivery and delay while also accusing his predecessor Andy Street of making “grand promises” which weren’t being delivered.
In turn, Mr Street said he was saddened to see party politics being played over the issue, adding he had “bequeathed to the new Mayor billions in devolved transport funding” for the projects.
