47K Journeys on New Birmingham Stations

0:00On April 21st, West Midlands Railway just dropped some fresh numbers and their fire. Over 47,000 journeys already clocked on the 5. Brand new stations in Birmingham and the Black Country since they opened. The three spots on the Camp Hill line, Mosley, Kings Hease and Pineapple Road, launched on April 7th and racked up 35,001, 100 trips in their first two weeks. Meanwhile, Will and Hall and Darlastin in the Black Country kicked off back on March 19th, pulling in 17,000 rides. These stations marked the end of decades without service. Camp Hill line shut down in 1941 and the Black Country ones in 1965. It's all thanks to a 185 million pound project teaming up transport department, West Midlands Railway, Network Rail and local, councils. But it wasn't smooth sailing, delays hit twice, pushing back from the original 2023 finish to now, thanks to 121 million and budget squeezes from rising costs.

1:02That sparked a beat between mayors with the new one calling out empty promises and the old one firing back about politics, messing with progress. Now the vibes are all positive residents and businesses are loving the fresh links. Proving these long awaited stops are already changing how folks move around the region.