Rail signals to receive £350m upgrade

Oct 19 2006 By Ben Hurst, Birmingham Mail

A MASSIVE £350 million scheme to modernise 40-year-old signals in the West Midlands has been given the green light.

Network Rail has agreed a programme of work which will see ageing and failure prone equipment replaced.

Once the new gear is installed, it will be controlled from the new signalling centre at Saltley.

Network Rail route director Peter Strachan said: "This is great news for millions of passengers across the West Midlands who will find their journeys significantly improved.

"Investment on this scale will reduce delays by improving the reliability of the railway and provide a long-term benefit of a better rail network in the region.

"Delivering efficiently, with the right supplier is hugely important.

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"We have made long-term commitments to suppliers, giving them the opportunity to invest in the development of technology. In return, we have received long-term cost guarantees."

The first stage of the project will see Network Rail renewing the signalling along the 23-mile Leamington Corridor route between Birmingham Moor Street, Solihull and Warwick Parkway.

As part of the project, the track layout at Tyseley will be upgraded to increase capacity.

The Leamington Corridor project is set to be complete by the end of 2007.

After that, the programme will tackle the line near Water Orton in 2009, Walsall in 2011, Wolverhampton in 2012 and New Street in 2014.