£2bn network upgrade plan could see an extra train an hour travel from Worcester Foregate Station

Midlands Connect says the plans, which are part of variety of upgrades suggested for the region's network, would see the average journey time between the destinations reduce from 85 to 65 minutes.

The body, which recommends long term transport projects that will benefit the region, says if the proposal went ahead it would be completed in phases between 2024 and 2033. The improvements would see 24 new passenger trains an hour across the network, 85,000 seats a day in and out of Birmingham, and an estimated six million more journeys made each year.

The body calls the ambitious plans key to supercharging the Midlands economy as it has highlighted that rail usage in the Midlands has grown faster than anywhere else in the UK, with a staggering growth of 121 per cent in the West Midlands in the last decade.

The plans have been submitted to the government in partnership with Network Rail and has the backing of 47 partner organisations including local authorities and LEPs.

Sir John Peace, Midlands Connect's chairman, said: "The Midlands Rail Hub is a cost-effective, evidence-led plan to upgrade our Victorian infrastructure to meet the demands of the future. These proposals capture the enormous economic potential of the Midlands, with 320,000 new jobs estimated by 2030, mainly in professional services firms who depend on good rail connectivity to attract skilled workers.

"This investment must happen alongside delivering HS2 in its entirety, from the West Midlands to the East Midlands and on to the north of England. The next PM of this country must not ignore the Midlands. Now is the time for the government to prove it’s listening to us.”

Midlands Connect has submitted the plan to the Department of Transport asking for an initial £25m for an outline business case.