Network Rail has named four preferred alliance partners to deliver the £1.75bn Midlands Rail Hub.

The preferred new alliance is made up of VolkerRail, Laing O’Rourke, AtkinsRéalis and Siemens Mobility along with Network Rail and will design and develop plans and support the build phase needed to transform passenger journeys.

The government’s recent spending review committed to progress the next stage of the transport project, following an initial £123m released last year to design and develop major changes to the railway through Birmingham. Alongside this, planning is underway to begin to deliver two smaller but significant upgrades to benefit passengers as quickly as possible.

This latest development is part of ongoing work by Network Rail, West Midlands Rail Executive, Midlands Connect and Department for Transport to progress Midlands Rail Hub.

The overhaul of the railway in Birmingham and the West Midlands, including changing how the city's three main stations - New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill - are served by train services from across the region and beyond, will have significant benefits to local, regional and national passenger journeys.

The biggest change will be connecting the Chiltern main line, which runs into Moor Street, with the Camp Hill lines which run towards the South-west and East Midlands via two new chords in Bordesley, near Birmingham city centre.

The transformation of the network will include running more train services on key routes through Birmingham and significantly improving connections for the millions of people who use the railway every day.

Work will be prioritised to explore how smaller, but vital, pieces of work which will provide passengers and communities with quicker benefits, including new journey options and more trains can be delivered as soon as possible.

They include reopening platform 4 at Snow Hill station so additional Chiltern Railways services can run directly between Birmingham's business district and London Marylebone, and redeveloping Kings Norton station and the lines through it so extra Cross City trains can be added and new Midlands Rail Hub-enabled services can call there.

Denise Wetton, Network Rail’s Central route director, said: “Midlands Rail Hub is a brilliant example of the benefits the railway provides to the everyday lives of people, communities and businesses. It will connect more people with new opportunities, create new jobs and access to careers, and be a catalyst for much-needed house building.

“We are working to deliver early improvements and changes in Kings Norton and at Snow Hill to deliver benefits for passengers and communities as quickly as possible, while planning the bigger pieces of work which will enable much-wider benefits of the project.

“Identifying the preferred alliance partners is a really important step and highlights the commitment and intent to deliver a project of this size and the huge amounts of benefits it will provide to the Midlands and beyond.”

John O’Connor, Laing O’Rourke’s group commercial director and Europe Hub clients and markets director, said: “Today’s announcement brings the transformation of the rail network across Birmingham and the West Midlands a step closer. The improvements will better connect communities and boost the region’s economy.

“The benefits will begin during construction, with the alliance partners working closely with local communities to create sustainable employment and supply chain opportunities. It’s a partnership that works.

“We’ve worked collaboratively alongside preferred alliance partners VolkerRail, AtkinsRéalis and Network Rail for a decade, most recently in the successful delivery of East West Rail Phase 2. We look forward to bringing our extensive rail experience to the project, and to working closely with SiemensMobility  - designing and developing plans that will progress the Midlands Rail Hub.”