Midlands Rail Hub Alliance – Alliance Partners (Non-Signalling Disciplines)

The key objectives of MRH are to improve connectivity across the Midlands region; boost economic growth; maximise use of HS2 to London through interchange in Central Birmingham; improve access to jobs, leisure, healthcare, and education; optimise the utilisation of station capacity in central Birmingham; and make rail journeys more attractive and encourage modal shift to rail. The scope of the Alliance includes, but is not limited to, the design and build of: new platforms and sidings; up to two new chords into Birmingham Moor Street; widening of existing viaduct; power supply upgrades; new freight loops; new overhead line equipment (OLE) and various signalling works including the re-modelling of existing layouts.

The MRH programme consists of multidisciplinary infrastructure interventions are split over three sections described as West, Central and East according to the additional train services that they enable. The scope is currently divided into eight interventions across the three sections: West & Central Midlands interventions at Snow Hill, King’s Norton to Barnt Green (and interventions at King’s Norton and Barnt Green) and Birmingham Bordesley to Moor Street are in the process of securing final funding approval and are intended to be the initial deliverables.

Additional interventions are also in scope of MRH and may be delivered subject to funding decisions and design development including West & Central interventions at Worcester to Hereford and Stoke Works Junction and East Midlands interventions at Water Orton and Nuneaton to Wigston. East interventions are at an earlier stage of design development and are intended to form part of a separate business case; these interventions are subject to future funding decisions.

It is also envisaged that the West intervention of Worcester-Hereford will be delivered by the Alliance but does not form part of the initial deliverables and is dependent upon as yet uncommitted renewals in the Worcester area. The total Alliance Anticipated Final Cost (AFC) excluding VAT is circa £1.1m--£1.5bn GBP.

The AFC is split between the initial deliverables and additional interventions as follows: - Initial deliverables (predominantly interventions in West and Central) are circa: - Multi-Disciplinary (non-signalling, power and communications): £700m-£800m GBP (excluding VAT) - Signalling, power and communications; £150m-£250m GBP (excluding VAT) - Additional interventions (predominantly East) are circa: - Multi-Disciplinary (non-signalling power and communications: £250m-£350m GBP (excluding VAT); - Signalling, power and communications; £50m-£100m GBP (excluding VAT) These figures are indicative only. Network Rail has appointed all Partners to the Alliance using a modified NR35 Alliance Contract (based on the NEC4 Alliance Contract). Network Rail and each of the Partners have signed one Alliance contract.