Moseley and Kings Heath rail study launched

There could finally be light at the end of the tunnel on the Camp Hill line.

The long-awaited return of passenger trains on the Camp Hill railway line has moved a step further with news of a feasibility study being undertaken by operating company West Midlands Trains together with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Transport for West Midlands.

On taking over the local rail franchise from London Midland last year, West Midlands Trains announced plans to introduce 20,000 extra seats and standing room for an additional 50,000 passengers at peak time in and around Birmingham, as well as additional late night and Sunday services across the region.

Plans for a total of seven new stations are also being investigated, including train and Metro services stopping at Merry Hill shopping centre as part of a potential new line from Wolverhampton, plus another rail-only station serving West Midlands Safari Park and connecting with the Severn Valley Railway.

Stations on the Camp Hill line, which have been talked about for many years and that we reported in 2016 were to be recommended by Network Rail, would re-open at Moseley (pictured above in 1908), Kings Heath and Hazelwell. The re-introduction of passenger services on this line, scrapped during World War II, would help relieve traffic congestion on the A435 Alcester Rd, one of the busiest in the city.