“Improving our connectivity is a key part of our efforts to grow our increasingly buoyant economy and a direct rail link to Birmingham with the potential for an extra 130 trains a week will be a big boost for our town."
Plans to deliver up to 130 extra trains per week from Swindon to Birmingham would be a big boost for the town, according to Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport - and EEH Board member - Cllr Chris Watts.
At a meeting at Swindon train station, Cllr Watts met with representatives from Midlands Connect to discuss the Midlands Rail Hub proposals. He was joined by Swindon North MP Will Stone; Swindon Borough Council leader, Cllr Jim Robbins; Cllr Fay Howard, Mayor of Swindon; Tom Lydon, Head of Public Affairs at Great Western Railway; and Adam King, Head of Policy and Partnerships at England's Economic Heartland.
The scheme could deliver over 2m extra seats per year for passengers between Swindon and Birmingham via Stroud and Stonehouse. This might be made a possibility by Midlands Rail Hub providing capacity for a new hourly Swindon to Birmingham service to operate.
The last time a direct service ran between these locations was the early 2000s, over 20 years ago, and since that time, people have had to change trains in Cheltenham, Gloucester or even Reading.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced she is funding the first phase of the rail upgrade in the spending review, which sets government budgets for the coming years. The scheme was also mentioned in the recent government 10-year infrastructure strategy.
At the end of August it was announced that the project had taken a major step forward to delivery, with identification of the preferred alliance partners including VolkerRail, Laing O’Rourke, AtkinsRéalis, Siemens Mobility, and Network Rail.
Councillor Chris Watts, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment and Transport, said: “Improving our connectivity is a key part of our efforts to grow our increasingly buoyant economy and a direct rail link to Birmingham with the potential for an extra 130 trains a week will be a big boost for our town.
“Our proximity to the Midlands and position along the Thames Valley M4 corridor is why so many companies have chosen Swindon as their home creating thousands of jobs and investing millions of pounds in the Borough, while people are drawn to live here due to our affordable house prices and the beautiful neighbouring countryside in Wiltshire and the Cotswolds."
Will Stone, Member of Parliament for Swindon North, said: “It’s fantastic that Swindon could be benefiting from the Midlands Rail hub expansion. We’re a town built on connection via the railways, and so it’s great to see Swindon getting an hourly service between a fellow industrial town like Birmingham. This connection will improve access for residents across the country, with two million extra seats available for passengers passing along the railway between Swindon and Birmingham each year, forging stronger links between businesses and communities. Innovative projects like the Midlands Rail hub prove that investments in our railways, fully funded by the Chancellor, are transformative for communities, bringing new jobs and skills to areas across the country.”
