Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to take a decision on the upgrade of the railway line between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street.

Midlands Connect submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for its proposals to upgrade the railway between Shrewsbury and Birmingham to the Department for Transport in 2022.

The benefits of upgrading the line are outlined in the SOBC, including an estimate of the economic impacts of the scheme. We are considering the case for upgrading this line in terms of value for money, affordability, and alignment with the Government’s strategic priorities.

We are committed to publishing the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) update as soon as possible to provide clarity on the progress of projects.