Press release -
Passengers benefit from major transformation of Longbridge station
Passengers using the Cross City Line are feeling the benefit of major improvement work at Longbridge station.
The outside of the station has been totally transformed with a new entrance, glazed roof and cladding, while inside a new larger concourse, ticket office and accessible toilet have been built.
The £1.7 million-pound project, part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan, was delivered by Network Rail and funded by Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Harpreet Singh-Moore, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “This major overhaul of Longbridge station is a huge improvement for the tens of thousands of West Midlands Trains passengers who use the station each week.
“As part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, the new facilities create a bright and modern transport hub for an area which is being regenerated by new business, leisure and housing developments.”
Francis Thomas, head of corporate affairs for West Midlands Railway, said: “It is great to see new investment in Longbridge station. Travelling by rail in the West Midlands has never been more popular. This redevelopment has significantly improved the experience for our passengers. The concourse area is now much brighter and spacious and also more accessible, thanks to the installation of adjustable ticket office counters and a new accessible toilet.
“Passengers using the Cross City Line will see more improvements over the coming years as we invest £1bn into upgrading our services across our network. This will include new trains for Longbridge commuters, with more capacity on this popular route.”
Richard Burden, MP for Birmingham Northfield, said: “Along with other local stakeholders I have been pressing for years for the transformation of this station both to provide today’s Longbridge town centre with the welcoming gateway it deserves and to create a modern public transport hub serving local residents, businesses and Bournville College. These improvements are an important step towards achieving those objectives.”
The old station rooms were demolished to create a larger concourse area complete with new flooring, new automatic doors, and a new accessible toilet and ticket counter.
The appearance of the station has been improved with a new front, replacement glass throughout the building, a new roof and canopy.
The investment came from the £70 million National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP) which is helping to transform railway stations across the country.
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About West Midlands Trains
For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk
West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.
- London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.
- West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.
For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.
West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.
The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com
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