The Office of Rail and Road has authorised a set of two new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston in the West Midlands.
The first two of five new stations to open in the West Midlands; Willenhall and Darlaston stations have now been added to the timetable for the hourly Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street Station service via Wolverhampton.
New stations have been authorised at Willenhall and Darlaston
© The Office of Rail and Road
ORR authorisation, which is considered a key milestone in the opening of any new, upgraded or renewed infrastructure, covers the stations’ new features, such as step-free access via new lifts which aim to provide accessible connections between platforms.
The authorisation also confirms that standards in areas such as health and safety, accessibility, environmental protection, reliability and availability have been met.
Steve Fletcher, Deputy Director, Engineering and Asset Management at ORR, said:
This is an important step for improving rail connectivity in and around the West Midlands, and we are pleased to see the upgrades open for passengers.
We’re pleased to have played our part in getting Willenhall and Darlaston stations ready to open. Our team worked closely West Midlands Combined Authority, Network Rail, and the West Midlands Rail Executive to support them through the authorisation process, just as we do for new trains and infrastructure across the country.