Press release —
West Midlands Railway launches new station libraries
West Midlands Railway (WMR) is encouraging customers to spend their train journeys reading by launching a book borrowing scheme at three stations.
In the West Midlands, the National Literacy Trust reports that just over a third of children and young people (34.4%) say they enjoy reading in their free time, and only 1 in 5 (19.0%) read daily in their free time.
The new bookcases feature a mix of books supplied by the National Literacy Trust, an independent charity that empowers children and adults with the literacy skills they need to succeed.
Available in time for October Half Term, the books can be borrowed for free from Erdington, Marston Green and Northfield railway stations.
The installation comes as part of the National Year of Reading, a campaign led by the Department for Education in collaboration with National Literacy Trust and nine leading literacy charities to help people of all ages discover the joy of reading.
The three new libraries add to existing bookcases available across WMR and sister-brand London Northwestern Railway’s network, including Canley, Shenstone, Wolverton and Berkhamsted.
Cara Higgs, community strategy manager at WMR, said: “We are pleased to be supporting the National Year of Reading by opening mini libraries across our network. There are so many benefits to sitting down with a good book, not only for your literacy skills but for your mental health too. We hope our customers enjoy the books on offer and look forward to bringing the scheme to more stations in the future.”
Erin Gilbey, Manager of the National Literacy Trust in Birmingham said: “Access to books is essential in helping people discover a love of reading and the many benefits that come with it.
“In the National Year of Reading, these new bookcases will enable more children, young people and adults across the West Midlands to pick up a book on their travels and see where it takes them.”
Find out more about the National Year of Reading here: National Year of Reading 2026 | Go All In
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About London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway
For further information on this release, email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk
- London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast Main Line to and from London Euston.
- West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street and Birmingham Snow Hill.
For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk
About DFTO
DFTO works with train operators and Network Rail to lay the foundations for Great British Railways (GBR) - working together to deliver a better railway for everyone in Britain. Ahead of the establishment of GBR in 2027, DFTO is responsible for bringing privately operated passenger services into public ownership, ensuring stability, accountability and continuity for customers and taxpayers. The group’s current train operating companies are: c2c, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, GTR, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and WM Trains. DFTO now runs 12,000 rail services every day and delivers over one billion customer journeys across its networks each year.
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