West Coast Rail 250 held its AGM and General Council meeting in Birmingham last Thursday.
The Chair, Cllr Trevor Roberts, said “I am grateful for HS2 Ltd for hosting this meeting in their offices in central Birmingham. It was a very successful event, and I would like to thank all of those who participated, particularly the external speakers”.
The meeting heard updates from three of the main train operating companies on the West Coast Main Line (Avanti, West Midlands Trains and Transpennine Express), whilst freight interests were explored in a presentation by the Rail Freight Group. The final presentation of the day was from HS2 Ltd, who provided a detailed insight into the development of the new Curzon Street station.
The recent Government decision to scrap Phase 2 of HS2 was, of course, a constant undercurrent to the meeting. The cancellation has many implications and uncertainties for the current and future capacity of the whole length of the West Coast Main Line. A formal resolution was passed to raise matters of concern to the Secretary of State, and members will be kept informed of any outcomes.
Dates for the 2024 General Council meetings will be set shortly.