Skip to main content

Chinese firm plans to develop disused railway for HS2

China Railway Group (CRG) has expressed interest in redeveloping a disused railway line in the UK and has invited local officials to visit Beijing to discuss the plans further. The Stonebridge Railway near Birmingham has been out of commission since the 1930s and the group plans to spend an estimated £280 million to bring it back into service. The proposals, hailed as a remarkable development by councillors, are expected to improve rail links to Birmingham airport and the wider UK Central area. The
January 15, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
China Railway Group (CRG) has expressed interest in redeveloping a disused railway line in the UK and has invited local officials to visit Beijing to discuss the plans further.

The Stonebridge Railway near Birmingham has been out of commission since the 1930s and the group plans to spend an estimated £280 million to bring it back into service.

The proposals, hailed as a remarkable development by councillors, are expected to improve rail links to Birmingham airport and the wider UK Central area. The new line would also link up to the 1995 HS2 network.

A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said: "We are keen to hear of any proposals that could improve connectivity and transport infrastructure in the city and believe that HS2 and any related works are key to this."

Currently, 78 per cent of rail passengers travelling to the airport need to change services in central Birmingham, inevitably increasing journey times. Under the plans, a new four-platform station would be created, including an international terminal for passengers travelling via the Channel Tunnel and the airport.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Insight into China's smart cities initiatives
    April 25, 2013
    Schneider Electric, which has been playing an active role in smart transportation systems in China since 1990, provides an insight into smart city initiatives in the country. Today, most cities across the world are facing unprecedented growth, which questions the viability of the current development model. They are immersed in a competition with each other, both domestically and internationally, in terms of investments, jobs and talents. Cities need to become more attractive and intelligent by becoming more
  • A carbon free and accident free Europe by 2015?
    February 2, 2012
    By 2050, the Europe Commission aims to make transport in Europe carbon- and accident-free. Between now and then, however, a significant technological development and deployment effort is needed. Here, Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, talks about what's being done. In many respects, COOPERS, CVIS and SAFESPOT, set up by the European Commission (EC) to explore the potential of cooperative infrastructure systems, are already legacy projects. Between them, the three devel
  • ANPR - cost-efficient traffic management, enforcement and more
    January 23, 2012
    Geoff Collins of Vysionics Intelligent Traffic Solutions talks about the near-term prospects of ANPR. The continued absence of a champion for its cause is preventing digital enforcement technology from delivering the true levels of cost-effectiveness of which it is capable, according to Geoff Collins, sales and marketing director of ANPR specialist Vysionics Intelligent Traffic Solutions.
  • Success of London's Olympic public transport systems
    December 4, 2012
    The Olympic flame has moved on, allowing review of the relative degrees of London’s 2012 transportation success, how it was done and with what lasting effects. Jon Masters reports. This magazine’s international position provides a good vantage point for assessing impressions left by London’s 2012 Olympic Games. On the whole, it has been only praise and congratulations heard since the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in August and the Paralympics in September. The events looked great and ran smoothly