Camp Hill: Further delays to south Birmingham railway line

Despite the delay, Mayor Andy Street said there was significant progress at the new stations

New railway stations and passenger services in Birmingham have been hit by further delays.

It was originally hoped the Camp Hill line in the south of the city would be ready for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

However West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said it would take "a little while longer", adding the news was "disappointing".

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) said it was now aiming to open the line by the end of 2024.

The £61m project, funded predominantly by the WMCA but with additional funding from the Department for Transport and Birmingham City Council, will see passenger services open on the line for the first time in decades.

Since 1941 the line has only been used by freight and through-services.

There will be three new stations in Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Stirchley, with the final station to be named Pineapple Road after a public vote.

Mr Street, the region's Conservative mayor, said there was "tangible progress" at the stations with platforms "taking shape".

However the WMCA said contractors had met "a series of challenges" during works including an unstable wall, a historic well and a protected species.

The Victorian well, linked to Highbury Hall in Kings Heath, was undocumented and meant the area had to be redesigned, a spokesperson said.

Meanwhile the unstable wall, near the Pineapple Road stop, needs to be rebuilt "brick by brick" and the protected species, found in Moseley, can only be moved at certain times of year.

Neil Gaskin, from Network Rail, said the stations would be "worth the wait", adding: "We will continue to work with our partners to support them opening as soon as possible."