New West Midlands rail stations get £60m boost

Plans have been put forward for Kings Heath station and two others in Birmingham on the Camp Hill line

The government has allocated £59m to projects that would open five railway stations, the BBC understands.

New stations have been planned in Moseley, Kings Heath and Stirchley in Birmingham and Darlaston and Willenhall on a reopened Walsall to Wolverhampton passenger line under £116m schemes.

The stations were expected to open by 2023, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has said.

Final sign-off would be at its board on 19 March, mayor Andy Street stated.

The Birmingham stations would be on the Camp Hill line, which has only been used by freight and through services since 1941.

The project would cost £61m, including £20m from the Department for Transport and £21m provided by WMCA and Birmingham City Council.

The remaining money was set to be approved by the board next month and all five stations had got planning permission, the combined authority spokesman said.

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The scheme from Walsall to Wolverhampton, where there are freight services, would cost £55m - £39m from the government department and £16m from the WMCA.

Mr Street said: "Yesterday (Thursday) was the meeting of the Department (for) Transport to allocate the funding for this.

"We've agreed the timetable with West Midlands Trains and we've got permission from Network Rail to run the service."

He added following the board's involvement in March, there would be confirmation publicly "with diggers going in the ground" in Birmingham this year.

Work was expected to start in the next two months under the plans for the Walsall to Wolverhampton line, the WMCA said.