Last call for Centro consultation on rail plans

There's less than a week to go to respond to Centro's Draft Rail Development Plan which has been produced by Centro on behalf of the Regional Rail Forum with the aim to work out transport priorities for 2014-2019 to improve economic output and competitiveness.

Comments can be sent to rdpfeedback@centro.org.uk or in writing to the address below by the 11th September.

David Ride
Centro
Centro House
16 Summer Lane
Birmingham
B19 3SD

The plan sit's alongside Centro's recently closed consultation document, Centro's Integrated Public Transport Prospectus.

The objectives of the Rail Development Plan are to inform the region's input into the Second High Level Output Specification which is in turn used to determine investment in the rail network in Control Period 5 (CP5) (2014-2019) (Network Rail CP4 Delivery Plan delivering for West Midlands ).

Interesting information from the consultation is reproduced below to assist comments and feedback including some of the route plans and summary of the schemes already identified and others for consideration in CP5.

Regional Transport Priorities

The Regional Transport Priorities Action Plan was published in response to challenge by Regional Minister to identify region's strategic transport priorities. Nine priorities were identified of which four are in an advanced state of implementation with committed or near-certain funding packages. The region covers 13,000 square kilometres with a population of 5.4 million with the West Midlands metropolitan area accounting for largest population being 2.6 million according to ONs 2007 estimates.

Regional rail capacity, both for passengers and freight, has been identified as one of the transport priorities. It currently encompasses a package of 12 potential heavy rail projects for improving capacity, accessibility and journey times for passengers and freight. The projects are summarised below:

1. Birmingham Central Area Rail Capacity Improvements (Camp Hill chords and Camp Hill and Tamworth local passengers services);


2. Brinsford park and ride;


3. Connecting Coventry - station improvements;


4. Extension of Cross City South electrification and services to Bromsgrove;


5. Cotswold line upgrade;


6. Nuneaton - Coventry - Kenilworth - Leamington (NUCKLE) service enhancements, Phase 1 Nuneaton - Coventry;


7. NUCKLE Phase 2 Coventry - Leamington;


8. Walsall - Stourbridge freight corridor;


9. Longbridge transport hub;


10. Station enhancements through rebuilding at Kidderminster, relocation of Bromsgrove station and new station at Stratford Parkway;


11. Telford park and ride; and


12. Worcester Parkway station.