Two extra Cross City trains an hour would serve Bromsgrove and Redditch, but the scheme's own published timeline puts them in the early 2030s.
The rail scheme that would put two more Cross City trains an hour through Bromsgrove has finished its first public consultation, and the project’s own published timeline says the trains would not run until the early 2030s.
Network Rail confirmed on 8 September that more than 3,500 responses came in during the eight-week consultation, which ran from 6 July to 28 August 2026. It was the first of two consultations planned before any application is made.
The consultation covered work in central Birmingham, not in Bromsgrove. The trains it would unlock are the local part.
What the document actually promises
The Midlands Rail Hub Alliance’s own frequently asked questions for the consultation set out what the new track and station capacity in Birmingham is meant to enable:
- three additional trains per hour to towns and cities south west of Birmingham, meaning Worcester and Hereford, Swindon and Cardiff
- the reinstatement of two additional Cross City line trains per hour, “meaning there would be six trains per hour in total”, including to Bromsgrove and Redditch
- four additional trains per hour towards the East Midlands, one of which would also serve the North East
Six an hour in total is two more than the four the line runs today. The document names Bromsgrove and Redditch together and does not say how the six would be split between the two branches. Anyone quoting a figure for Bromsgrove alone is going beyond what has been published.
The work being consulted on is two new sections of railway, called chords, linking the Camp Hill line to the Chiltern Main Line, plus extra platform capacity at Birmingham Moor Street and the widening of parts of the Bordesley viaduct. The Alliance’s case is that Birmingham New Street “cannot accommodate the extra services required”, and that adding trains there would damage reliability across the network.
The timeline is the story
The Alliance published a seven-step timeline. It is not quick.
| When | Step |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Consultation on early proposals (now closed) |
| Summer 2027 | Consultation on refined proposals |
| Early 2028 | Transport and Works Act Order submitted |
| Late 2028 | Public inquiry |
| Summer 2029 | Outcome of the application announced |
| 2030 | Construction starts |
| Early 2030s | Open for use |
The Alliance adds its own health warning. It says “it is normal for these timescales to evolve as the project is delivered”, and that the timing of the public inquiry and the outcome both depend on a decision by the Secretary of State for Transport. Its exact words are that “dates can only be assumed for now”.
Mark Cuzner, the Alliance’s director, said in the 8 September statement: “Thank you to everyone who took the time to find out more about the proposals and share their views. We have received more than 3,500 responses, alongside valuable feedback through our consultation events and conversations with businesses and stakeholders.”
Barnt Green is in the programme, but not in that consultation
The part of the Midlands Rail Hub that lands in Bromsgrove district is listed separately, and the Alliance is explicit that it “does not form part of this consultation” and is “subject to different consenting routes”.
Three items in that separate list affect this district or the line into it:
- Barnt Green station: platform alterations, including extending and partially rebuilding platform 4, and track upgrades
- King’s Norton to Barnt Green: new and altered railway equipment, alterations to access points on to the railway, and all lines to be electrified between the two stations
- Kings Norton station: platforms 2 and 3 reinstated, platforms 1 and 4 extended, a new accessible footbridge, a rebuilt walkway from the station building and an emergency refuge area
The Alliance says work on some of these elements “may happen sooner” than the Birmingham chords. It also says something readers here can act on: the public would be able to make representations to the local planning authority on the “prior approval” planning applications that would be made for the Kings Norton and Barnt Green station proposals. Barnt Green sits inside Bromsgrove district, so that application would go to Bromsgrove District Council.
Electrification is not new to this line. The overhead wires between Barnt Green and Bromsgrove were switched on in May 2018, when the Cross City service was extended to the rebuilt Bromsgrove station, in a Network Rail package the West Midlands Rail Executive valued at £100 million. What the new work would add is electrification of all the lines on the stretch north of Barnt Green.
What it means for you
- Nothing changes on the Bromsgrove or Alvechurch timetable this year, next year, or the year after. The published date for extra trains is the early 2030s.
- The consultation that closed on 28 August was about Birmingham, not about Barnt Green. If you missed it, the next one is planned for summer 2027.
- The Barnt Green station work follows a different route. Watch for a prior approval application to Bromsgrove District Council, because that is the point at which comments count. We publish decisions as they come through on our Bromsgrove planning news page.
- For what is actually running now, including the Cross City service from Bromsgrove, Barnt Green and Alvechurch, see our Bromsgrove train times page.
Sources
- Network Rail, Thousands have their say on Midlands Rail Hub proposals, 8 September 2026
- Midlands Rail Hub Alliance, consultation frequently asked questions and consultation brochure, published at mrhalliance.co.uk
- West Midlands Rail Executive, Up to three extra trains an hour for Bromsgrove, 25 July 2018
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