A key rail commuter route between Birmingham and Staffordshire will be closed next week.
The Cross City line between New Street and Lichfield will have no trains running on it from Monday May 27 to Saturday June 1.
The route calls at several stations including Aston, Erdington, Sutton Coldfield and two stations in Lichfield.
The closure is part of Birmingham City Council’s ongoing strengthening and refurbishment of sections of the A38(M) Tame Valley Viaduct which crosses the railway line between Gravelly Hill and Aston stations.
Buses will replace all West Midlands Railway services between Lichfield Trent Valley and New Street during the closure.
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The council’s work is part of a scheme spanning four and half years to strengthen the viaduct’s main steel boxes, grit blast and repaint steel beams and carry out concrete repairs.
The scale of the job means the railway underneath has to close for safety reasons.
Network Rail is also using the closure to carry out its own essential maintenance of the railway line which it said would help to make the route safer and more reliable for passengers.
The work will include cutting back and managing vegetation, maintaining overhead power lines in preparation for hot weather and testing and replacing signalling cables between Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield Trent Valley stations.
Separately, passengers are being advised about major work taking place on the West Coast Main Line over the May bank holiday weekend.
This will mean changes to train services between London Euston and Scotland which call at stations across the West Midlands such as Coventry, Birmingham International, New Street and Stafford.
Read More Related Articles Speakers unveiled for West Midlands UKREiiF programme Read More Related Articles Brace of management briefs for Burley BrowneSteven Ireland, Network Rail’s central route head of stations and customer relations, said: “I know this closure will impact a lot of people and I’m sorry for the inconvenience it will cause.
“Birmingham City Council’s work is essential to keep the A38(M) into the city centre safe and open so we have worked with them and West Midlands Railway to make it possible.
“We will be taking the opportunity to complete our own essential maintenance of the line between Birmingham and Lichfield which will help make journeys more reliable for passengers in future.”
