Stratford passengers warned of four-day railway line closure

RAIL chiefs have reminded passengers that there will be a four-day railway closure later this month as work continues to improve journeys for the Commonwealth Games.

Network Rail has announced the Chiltern mainline between Dorridge and Birmingham Moor Street will not be in operation between Monday, 20th and Thursday, 23rd June as part of a £3million investment. The essential upgrades also mean that on the Shakespeare line to Stratford there will be no trains running between Moor Street and Spring Road stations.

Work includes overhauling switches and crossings, as well as moving sections of the track which allows trains to access and leave the Tyseley depot – an important site for operators West Midlands Railway, CrossCountry and Chiltern Railways. Network Rail say replacing the complex equipment now will help services run smoothly during this summer’s Games, which run from 28th July to 8th August, when more than one million extra passenger journeys across the West Midlands are expected.

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.”

Rail replacement buses will be in operation and people are advised to plan ahead at www.nationalrail.co.uk.