Network Rail CP4 Delivery Plan delivering for West Midlands

The Birmingham Post has reported that Network Rail to pump extra £90m into West Midlands railways following Network Rail publishing its CP4 Delivery Plan, the plan on how it proposes to spend the £35 bn allocated to it during Control Period 4 from the 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2014.

The proposals for the Midlands will see £90 million invested on top of the £600 million for New Street Station and include plans to extend the Cross City Line, platform extensions at stations and signalling improvements and station improvements.

Many of these 'improvements' are already planned, Network Rail Strategic Business Plan Update, in Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan and displayed in the West Midlands route plan shown below and proposed strategy.

Birmingham’s busy Cross City Line will be extended to take three trains an hour to Bromsgrove, the Redditch branch line will be upgraded and a bottleneck at Stafford/Colwich will be opened. Platforms will be extended at Cannock, stations on Birmingham Cross City Line, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Stratford, Leamington Spa and Stourbridge to allow longer trains carrying more passengers.While there will be across-the-board signalling improvements and the West Coast Main Line, linking New Street to London and the north, will get a major power upgrade to cut delays.And a range of stations including Warwick, Bloxwich, Bloxwich North, Cannock, Hednesford, Kidderminster, Rugeley Town, Tamworth, University and Wolverhampton will be improved. Network Rail to pump extra £90m into West Midlands railways

Some improvements such as the Stafford / Colwich remodelling project on the West Coast Main Line have been pushed back to CP5 due to delays in securing powers under the Transport and Works Act.

Improvements to stations such as Cannock on the Chase line are very welcome and should help to support the improvement already made in twice hourly services and the increasing number of people using the station. Much of the planned work cannot come soon enough in helping to keep the Greater Birmingham area moving and to improve the important role transport plays on the regions connectivity and business.