Press release —
West Midlands Railway stations win national award six months after opening
West Midlands Railway (WMR) and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) were recognised for the opening of five brand-new railway stations at the 2026 National Rail Awards.
The two organisations jointly won the ‘Major Project of the Year’ category for the completion of Willenhall and Darlaston in the Black Country and Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road (Stirchley) on the new Camp Hill Line in South Birmingham.
Following a £185million development programme to build the five new stations, Willenhall and Darlaston opened six months ago, on March 19, with the Camp Hill Line opening three weeks later, on April 7.
Since then, more than 307,000 passengers have travelled to and from the Camp Hill Line stations, with more than 81,000 making journeys using Willenhall and Darlaston.
The construction programme was led by TfWM in partnership with WMR, Network Rail, Kier and VolkerFitzpatrick. The stations feature sheltered platforms, accessible lifts, ticket machines and secure cycle racks.
Denise Wetton, integrated managing director for GBR West Midlands, said: “We are delighted to have been recognised for the five new stations, which have opened up faster and greener journeys for residents across Birmingham and the Black Country. By working closely with industry partners, we are creating a network that better supports passengers across the region and beyond.”
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “We know if we can build good quality, reliable public transport, people will use it, and almost 400,000 journeys from our new stations shows just how strong that demand is. That’s good for businesses, the environment, and our economy. Getting these stations finished and up and running has really energised these communities and this well-deserved National Rail Award is also a credit to the hard work of everyone involved.”
The National Rail Awards is run by RAIL magazine and is often referred to as the 'Oscars of the railway'.
More information on the new stations is available on the WMR website: https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/travel-information/whats-new/new-stations
Topics
Categories
Regions
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.
If you have been sent this press release, this is because we believe this to be of interest to you.
To sign up for all future releases, visit our newsroom and subscribe to our updates. You can unsubscribe to our releases at any time.
