West Midlands franchise

The West Midlands franchise will see:

£700 million of investment in new and refurbished trains including 400 brand new carriages
space for an extra 85,000 passengers on rush hour services
more than £60 million invested on station improvements which will deliver over 1,000 new car park spaces and thousands more cycle parking spaces
more than 800 new digital information screens providing real time journey information and free wifi
a reduction in the notice required for Passenger Assist
smart ticketing extended and a smart card season ticket for passengers between London and Northampton
compensation for delays of more than 15 minutes
more than £70 million invested in new and existing depots to improve train reliability

The West Midlands franchise was announced on 10 August 2017.

View how your line will change.

Abbey line

The Abbey Line (St Albans Abbey to Watford Junction) line will benefit by:

provision of an enhanced daytime frequency on a Sunday from May 2021, similar to that currently provided on a Saturday
a new smart ticketing product for commuters
real time passenger information at stations
a robust strategy to deliver services during the autumn leaf-fall period
increased Community Rail Partnership funding
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Marston Vale line

The Bedford to Bletchley (the Marston Vale line) line will benefit by:

more space for passengers and at-seat charging facilities
earlier first service and later last service between Bletchley and Bedford by December 2018 Monday to Saturday
a new hourly Sunday service from May 2021 delivering 14 services in each direction
increased Community Rail Partnership funding
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Birmingham Chase line

The Birmingham Chase line (Birmingham – Walsall – Cannock – Rugeley) will benefit by:

electric rolling stock introduced following the completion of the on-going electrification works
a half-hourly service between Birmingham, Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley Monday to Saturday by December 2018 and on Sundays by May 2021
earlier and later services between Birmingham and Walsall, and between Birmingham and Rugeley Trent Valley including on a Sunday
new direct services between Walsall and London during rush hours (with 2 morning services into London and 2 evening peak services returning from London) from December 2018
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Birmingham cross city line

The Birmingham cross city line (Lichfield – Birmingham – Bromsgrove/Redditch) will benefit by:

investment in more than 100 brand new electric carriages introduced from 2020 specially designed and dedicated to the cross city line in Birmingham
extension of services to Bromsgrove once the line is electrified in December 2018 delivering 3 electric trains per hour between Birmingham and Bromsgrove
extension of services from Lichfield City to Lichfield Trent Valley to provide 4 services per hour Monday to Saturday by December 2018 and on Sundays by May 2021
earlier and later services between Redditch and Birmingham and between Birmingham and Lichfield
increased Sunday frequency between Birmingham and Four Oaks to provide 6 services per hour by May 2021
increased Sunday frequency between Birmingham and Longbridge to provide 4 services per hour Monday to Saturday by December 2018 and on Sundays by May 2021 with 3 to Bromsgrove and 3 to Redditch
a robust strategy to deliver services during the autumn leaf-fall period
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Birmingham to Hereford

The Birmingham to Hereford (Birmingham – Bromsgrove – Worcester - Hereford) line will benefit by:

an additional evening service from Birmingham to Worcester, and an earlier first service from Worcester to Birmingham on Monday to Friday by December 2018
enhanced Saturday evening service to provide a regular hourly service between Birmingham and Worcester by December 2018
additional evening services between Birmingham and Hereford in both directions on Saturdays by December 2018
enhanced frequency on Sundays between Hereford and Birmingham with at least 5 additional services in each direction by May 2021
earlier first services between Birmingham and Hereford in both directions on Saturdays by May 2021
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Birmingham Snow Hill line

The BirminghamSnow Hill line (Worcester – Kidderminster - Birmingham – Stratford-upon-Avon – Leamington) will benefit by:

carriages will be fully refurbished and supported by investment in 80 brand new diesel carriages introduced from 2020 dedicated to operating services in and around Birmingham
additional rush hour services between Stratford-upon-Avon and Dorridge, creating a regular hourly service in both directions between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham via Solihull
an additional early morning service between Dorridge and Birmingham via Solihull Monday to Friday from December 2018
enhanced evening frequencies between Birmingham and Kidderminster, Birmingham and Solihull, and Birmingham and Shirley in each direction Monday to Friday by December 2018
enhanced frequencies by May 2021 on the Snow Hill lines on a Sunday with services from Birmingham increasing to 2 trains per hour to Stratford-upon-Avon, 3 trains per hour to Shirley, 3 trains per hour to Solihull, 6 trains per hour to Stourbridge Junction with 4 extending to Kidderminster
earlier first services on the Snow Hill lines by May 2021 on a Sunday
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Stourbridge Town to Stourbridge Junction

The Stourbridge Town to Stourbridge Junction line will benefit by:

earlier first services between Stourbridge Town and Stourbridge Junction on a Saturday in both directions
frequency on a Sunday increases from 4 to 6 services an hour by May 2021

Birmingham to Northampton

The Birmingham to Northampton (Birmingham – Birmingham International – Coventry – Northampton) line will benefit by:

additional services between Rugby and Birmingham Monday to Friday by December 2018
earlier first service and later last service between Birmingham and Coventry Monday to Saturday by December 2018
later last service from Birmingham to Rugby and Northampton Monday to Friday by December 2018
frequency on a Sunday between Birmingham, Rugby and Northampton increases from 1 to 2 services an hour by May 2021

Birmingham to Shrewsbury

The Birmingham to Shrewsbury (Birmingham – Wolverhampton – Shrewsbury) line will benefit by:

carriages will be fully refurbished and supported by investment in 80 brand new diesel carriages introduced from 2020 dedicated to operating services in and around Birmingham
additional services to create a regular all-day half-hourly service between Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury Monday to Saturday by December 2018 in addition to the current hourly service operated by Arriva Trains Wales
between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, the new hourly service shall as a minimum call at Wellington, Telford, Shifnal and Codsall
earlier first service from Wolverhampton to Birmingham, and a later last service from Wolverhampton to Birmingham by December 2018
a new hourly Sunday West Midlands Franchise service between Shrewsbury and Birmingham, replacing the less frequent Arriva Trains Wales service between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, with 2 services per hour provided by May 2021
increased Sunday frequency for stopping services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton increasing from 1 to 2 services an hour by December 2018 and then to 3 services per hour by May 2021
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Birmingham to Crewe

The Birmingham to Crewe (Birmingham – Stoke-on-Trent – Crewe) line will benefit by:

longer trains providing additional capacity on this busy route
a new hourly service between Birmingham and Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent from December 2018 providing a regular all-day service for Stone, Kidsgrove and Alsager
additional calls during the morning and evening rush hours at Stone, Kidsgrove and Alsager compared to today providing direct services to Birmingham
additional evening services between Birmingham and Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent during the week and at weekends

Nuneaton to Leamington

The Nuneaton to Leamington (Nuneaton – Coventry – Kenilworth – Leamington) line will benefit by:

a new hourly service between Coventry and Leamington following the opening of the new station at Kenilworth
an additional hourly service in each direction between Coventry and Nuneaton following the construction of a new platform at Coventry delivering 2 trains per hour Monday to Friday and Sunday, and 3 trains per hour on a Saturday
earlier and later services between Coventry and Nuneaton including on Sundays
a service quality regime to improve the quality of stations, trains and customer service for passengers

Liverpool to Birmingham

The Liverpool to Birmingham (Liverpool – Crewe – Birmingham) line will benefit by:

later last service from Birmingham to Liverpool on a Saturday by December 2018
at least 4 additional station calls at Acton Bridge Monday to Saturday, and a new Sunday service from December 2018
enhanced Sunday frequency between Birmingham and Liverpool increasing from 1 to 2 services an hour by May 2021
earlier first services between Birmingham and Liverpool in both directions on a Sunday and a later last service from Birmingham to Liverpool

London to Northampton

The London to Northampton (London – Tring – Milton Keynes – Northampton) line will benefit by:

enhanced Sunday frequency between London Euston, Berkhamsted, and Milton Keynes increasing from 3 to 4 services an hour by May 2021
enhanced Sunday frequency between London Euston and Tring increasing from 2 to 3 services an hour by May 2021
enhanced Sunday frequency between London Euston and Northampton increasing from 2 to 3 services an hour by May 2021
at least 8 additional calls at Wembley Central in each direction Monday to Saturday by December 2018
at least 4 additional calls at Wembley Central in each direction on a Sunday by May 2021
a new smart ticketing product for commuters

London to Crewe

The London to Crewe line will benefit by:

journey times between London and Crewe via the Trent Valley are reduced from December 2018 as services run fast between Stafford and Crewe
later last service from London Euston to Crewe via the Trent Valley Monday to Friday by December 2018
later last service from London Euston to Crewe via the Trent Valley on Saturdays by December 2018
earlier first service from Crewe to London Euston on Sundays by May 2021