Plans are afoot for an hourly train in both directions between Worcester and Birmingham.

It will be part of the first phase of the Midlands Rail Hub, with a train in both directions between central Birmingham and a series of locations.

The upgrade is made possible by the reallocation of £123 million from HS2 funding.

Leaders from both East and West Midlands, together with business chiefs, have jointly signed a statement, expressing their backing for the project.

 

 

Read more: National Trust Croome Court's parking 'chaos'

 

 

The hub is set to improve the transport links of more than 50 stations and seven million people across the region.

The initial phase of the project promises an additional train every hour between central Birmingham and destinations like Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, and Worcester.

When the entire project is complete, most routes are projected to witness a service increase of between 50 per cent and 100 per cent.

Furthermore, Birmingham's Cross-City line will provide a streamlined 'turn-up-and-go' service, featuring a train every 10 minutes.

The joint statement, signed by council leaders, mayors and business chiefs, says that "the funding we have now received will enable us to finalise the design and finally kick start the delivery of Midlands Rail Hub."

While the funding is allocated for a particular section of the project, progress is also being made with the Rail Hub's 'Eastern' scope, which is geared towards improving rail connections between Birmingham and East Midlands destinations like Leicester, Nottingham and Derby.

Through the Midlands Connect partnership and WMRE and Transport for the East Midlands, the leaders assure that they "will continue to work with government to ensure the benefits of the Rail Hub ripple throughout the region including communities like Hereford and Lichfield."

Once fully executed, the project is expected to facilitate faster and more frequent east-west journeys, providing 14 million extra seats annually.

The statement concluded: “Our message to government is clear: The £123m is very welcome and we must now work together, full steam ahead, to get the project off the ground.”

Among the signatories were Councillor Simon Geraghty, leader of Worcestershire County Council, and Councillor Marjory Bisset, joint leader of Worcester City Council.