Wednesday 5 Aug 2009
CHASE LINE GETS £2.1M REVAMP
- Region & Route:
Six stations in the West Midlands are to be revamped as part of a £2.1 million programme of investment on the Chase Line.
Network Rail, rail operator London Midland and transport authority Centro are investing £1.7m to significantly improve facilities including the provision of new waiting shelters, seating and CCTV.
A further £400,000 is being provided by London Midland, Centro and Staffordshire County Council in partnership with the Department for Transport’s Access for All Small Schemes programme to provide real time train running information.
The stations set to benefit are Bloxwich, Bloxwich North, Landywood, Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley Town.
The work, which also includes help points, enhanced lighting, better signage and new ticket machines, is scheduled to begin in the New Year and will take two to three months to complete as part of the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP).
London Midland services on the Chase Line operate into the heart of Birmingham, but now also have connecting services with the Trent Valley line which means passengers can travel on from Rugeley Trent Valley to London Euston, or north to Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
Darren Horley, senior route planner at Network Rail, said: “This investment is great news for passenger using these stations. This long-awaited and much needed investment will make the stations safer and more user-friendly.”
London Midland commercial director Alex Hynes said the work would provide benefits to passengers.
“Travelling will be more comfortable for passengers on the Chase Line. This is a big investment in facilities and along with proposed line speed improvements and better connections this is a great example of how working in partnership is boosting travel for rail passengers.”
Cllr Tim Huxtable, Centro’s lead member for rail, said: “We’ve listened carefully to local organisations such as the Cannock Chase Rail Promotion Group, and know how important this railway line is to them.
“That’s why Centro is putting £900,000 towards this project to make sure passengers get the facilities they need.”
Notes to editors
1. For further information or interview opportunities, please contact London Midland communications on 0121 654 1278, email comms@londonmidland.com or visit www.londonmidland.com and Babs Coombes at Centro on 0121 214 7266 or babscoombes@centro.org.uk 2. The National Stations Improvement Programme has been set up with £150m funding from the Department for Transport to improve large and medium size stations until 2014. 3. Other stations to benefit on the London Midland network in the West Midlands include Telford Central, Tamworth, University and Kidderminster. 4. London Midland operates train services through the heart of England from London south, to Birmingham in the midlands and Liverpool in the North West. London Midland began operating on November 11, 2007. 5. 46 million passenger journeys a year are made on our services; we manage 149 stations and operate over 1,200 services a day. 6. London Midland is owned by Govia, the partnership between the Go-Ahead Group and Keolis. Govia is the most enduring partnership between transport operators delivering rail franchises in this country. Govia is the UK’s busiest rail operator, responsible for nearly 30 per cent of UK passenger rail journeys through its three rail companies, Southern (which includes Gatwick Express services), Southeastern and London Midland. Further information on Govia is available at www.govia.info
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