A LONG held ambition for a morning and evening express rail service between Redditch and Birmingham New Street could be taking a step nearer reality.
It follows a presentation to members of the West Midlands Combined Authority on the future of transport services in the region.
Describing ‘A Rail Based Renaissance’ the region has seen an increase of more than 70 per cent in rail travel over the last 10 years.
However, the system is now approaching its limits with most services overcrowded in peak periods.
The new rail franchise for the region has been awarded to West Midlands Trains Ltd (WMT) which will replace London Midland on December 10.
Plans include the creation of 20,000 extra seats for peak passengers into Birmingham, 100 new carriages on the Cross City Line, major improvements to Sunday services, compensation if services are delayed by more than 15 minutes, free Wi-Fi on all main-line services and smart ticketing.
Although Redditch is the terminus on the Cross City Line it lies outside the West Midlands Travel area, but Councillor Bill Hartnett, the leader of Redditch Borough Council, is hopeful the benefits will be extended south to the town.
“We are aiming to get fare equalisation for passengers from Redditch so they are no longer paying more to get to the city centre, and I’m also hoping for progress of a long held ambition of mine to have an express service AM and PM to Birmingham from Redditch,” he said.
