Electric trains will help to grow Walsall economy rail and council bosses say

West Midlands Railway(WMR) started introducing its brand new "Class 730" electric trains on the route between Walsall and Wolverhampton in February this year, but this month has added them on the Rugeley to Birmingham International route. 

The company says this means the majority of trains which stop at Walsall will be drawn from the new fleet by Christmas, part of a near £1billion investment which rail and council bosses say will help to grow the economy of the area by providing a boost to business travel in the region.

Each three-carriage Class 730 train can carry 546 passengers, an increase of 40% on the capacity of the outgoing fleet.

“We are delighted even more customers at Walsall are now enjoying the benefit of travelling on our newest trains, which offer increased capacity and modern features like power points and smart air conditioning," said Max Taylor, Commercial Director of West Midlands Railway.

"With six trains departing the station every hour and more than a million passenger journeys made to and from Walsall every year, we are proud that these new trains are playing their part in helping to grow the economy of the borough by enhancing leisure and business travel."

The fleet is made up of 48 three-carriage trains, making a total of 144 new carriages across the region. 

The new trains are built by Midlands-based manufacturers Alstom, and West Midlands Railway says trains have significantly more capacity than the 20-year-old rolling stock they replace, with on-board features including accessible toilets, WiFi and power points at every seat.

“It’s great to see the new trains in operation through Walsall. Accessible, convenient and attractive public transport is key in making sure local people can travel to and from the borough and it’s great to see this investment into improving our infrastructure.“  said Councillor Adrian Andrew, Associate Leader of Walsall Council.