Passengers warned of four-day rail closure
The Chiltern main line between Dorridge and Birmingham Moor Street will be closed for four days this month as work continues in preparation for the Commonwealth Games.
Network Rail said crucial parts of the railway will be replaced between Monday 20 and Thursday 23 June as part of a £3m investment.
The work will overhaul switches and crossings – moving sections of track which allow trains to access and leave a train maintenance depot at Tyseley in Birmingham.
The depot is an important site for three train operators – West Midlands Railway, CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways.
Network Rail said that any issues there during the Commonwealth Games could cause delays across the region, including risking overcrowding at key stations serving sports venues.
The upgrades will impact the following routes and services between Monday 20 and Thursday 23 June:
On the Shakespeare line to Stratford-upon-Avon, there will be no trains between Birmingham Moor Street and Spring Road stations
On the Chiltern main line between London Marylebone and Birmingham, there will be no trains between Birmingham Moor Street and Dorridge
The four-day railway closure has been extended to Dorridge from Solihullto allow better flexibility for the trains which will be running on the rest of the Chiltern main line.
Rail replacement buses will be in operation.
Denise Wetton, Network Rail’s Central route director, said: “There’s never an ideal time to shut the railway and a mid-week closure for work like this is rare, but after carefully reviewing recent passenger numbers on this route we’ve found it’s the least disruptive time to make these essential improvements.
“These upgrades will benefit journeys across the wider West Midlands, providing passengers with an efficient, cleaner and more reliable railway throughout our major summer of sport. It will also help to reduce the risk of platforms becoming overcrowded as a result of the predicted one million extra passenger journeys during the Commonwealth Games.”
