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

  • IBTTA summit hits right notes in Salzburg
    December 5, 2018
    In the birthplace of Mozart, Colin Sowman found that delegates at the IBTTA’s inaugural World Tolling Summit were playing a variety of interesting tunes The first World Tolling Summit took place in Salzburg, Austria this autumn. Created and organised by the International Bridge Tolling and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), the event was supported by its European counterpart Asecap and hosted by Austria’s tolling authority, Asfinag. The transfer of views, experience and practice both ways across the Atl
  • New York to pump $51.5bn into transit
    September 25, 2019
    New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has proposed investing $51.5 billion in the city’s subways, buses and railroads over the next five years. Janno Lieber, MTA chief development officer, says: “The proposed capital programme will be truly transformational – more trains, more buses, more service, more accessibility and more reliability.” The 2020-2024 Capital Plan would put $40bn into the city’s subways and buses and $6.1bn for 1,900 new subway cars to help mitigate delays. MTA also wa
  • Promoting cycling is the solution to congestion and pollution
    August 20, 2015
    Cycling offers health, air quality and road space/parking benefits, promoting governments and the EU to look at tax and technology initiatives. David Crawford reports. One way to improve urban air quality is to make green alternatives to car use financially attractive. Incentivising employees to switch their travel-to-work mode to using their own bikes could increase cycling’s modal share of commuting travel by 50%, a recent French research project suggests. The country’s government already subsidises pu
  • Virtual traffic management centres, a new direction in traffic monitoring
    January 30, 2012
    David Crawford picks up a new direction trend in traffic monitoring The surprise winner in the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) category of the recently-announced 2011 OSMOSE (Open Source for MObile and SustainablE city) Awards for European innovations in urban transport, is the Danish city of Aalborg - which doesn't have a TMC. Alternatively, one might consider its 'virtual' TMC as a signpost for the future in medium-sized cities.