Mr Butters said New Street is “the most congested train station outside of London” and lots of trains end up being delayed because there is “no capacity”.
“Unblocking the trains allows us to put in about 200 extra trains in and out of Birmingham every single day to lots of places like Cardiff, but also down to Gloucestershire and through to Swindon”, he added.
“Places like Stonehouse, Stroud and Kemble will see extra trains, as will Ashchurch. Around 260 extra trains a week, so it should also help to deal with some of the commuter overcrowding.”
The work involves creating two new rail links, or viaducts, one called the West Chord, which will enhance services using the Hereford and Worcester corridors and allow trains to access Moor Street station from the South West and Wales.