A new plan suggests reopening the Sutton Park Line, bypassing Walsall to boost Birmingham’s connectivity and growth.
The plan involves the Sutton Park Line’s reopening, allowing trains to go straight to Birmingham, not Walsall. New stations would be built along that route. Huxtable says this aids housing and jobs growth along the route.
He brought this up before at a prior meeting. Huxtable believes they should examine the Walsall to Birmingham route, which currently uses the freight-only Sutton Park line.
The Langley Sustainable Urban Extension is planned along this route, with possible new station sites at Aldridge and Langley. They also considered Castle Bromwich in a prior study.
Trains could initially go to New Street Station. Later, trains could use extra platforms at HS2 Curzon Street. Moor Street is also a possibility, via the Bordesley Chord. Cross Country Trains could stop at Castle Bromwich station, improving travel between Birmingham and Tamworth. This supports the East Birmingham growth strategy too.
Huxtable believes this will improve economic growth and access to jobs, skills, and leisure. He wants the mayor to review it and looks forward to the reply.
The former mayor planned diesel trains to Walsall and secured £3.6 million for studies. The project got delayed due to rising costs. The Aldridge project stalled until they find full funding.
Mayor Parker asked Arup to look into the problems, but they only found £3.6 million out of £30 million needed. Wendy Morton says the mayor is misleading people, stating she secured the £30 million to finish by 2027.