Staffordshire rail passengers warned of six-month platform closure

Platform three at Lichfield Trent Valley will be demolished and rebuilt

Rail passengers in Staffordshire are being warned of a six-month platform closure.

Cross City Line services will not call at Lichfield Trent Valley from Saturday as platform three is in need of "urgent repair", West Midlands Railway said.

It will be entirely replaced as part of a £5.8m project by Network Rail.

A temporary step-free footbridge connecting platforms one and two will be installed during the demolition.

The West Coast Main Line will also be closed for a week while the work is taking place.

It means from Saturday to 23 July, Cross City Line services will terminate at Blake Street in Sutton Coldfield, with rail replacement buses in operation between the station and Lichfield Trent Valley.

Then, from 24 July until January next year, Cross City Line services will terminate at Lichfield City station, with rail replacement buses connecting Lichfield City with Lichfield Trent Valley.

West Coast Main Line services to and from London and the North West will resume as normal on 24 July.

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for West Midlands Railway, thanked passengers for their patience.

"I appreciate the lengthy closure of platform three will be inconvenient for our customers and I would like to thank our Cross City Line passengers for their patience while Network Rail carries out this work," he said.