COMMUTERS are being reminded that the railway at Bromsgrove's new train station will be closed for 12 days this month, to allow for the line to be electrified.

The Bromsgrove line is set to close from Wednesday, October 26 to Sunday, November 6, while the work is completed.

Network Rail claim the work will result in an upgraded signalling system, which will help make services to and from the town more reliable.

The company say it will also increase the number of trains serving Bromsgrove from December next year, including three per hour to and from Birmingham.

The project forms part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan, which already delivered the town's new station in July.

This next phase of the scheme will be to reconfigure the track, points and crossings in the area around the station, and bring into use the new signalling between Five Ways in Birmingham and Ashchurch in Gloucestershire - in preparation for electrification to Bromsgrove.

Throughout the 12-day closure, there will be alterations to services to and from Bromsgrove, Hereford and Birmingham, but buses are set to replace trains between Longbridge, Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa.

Hereford to Birmingham services will run at peak times via a diversion route between Droitwich Spa and Birmingham New Street.

Snow Hill route services at Langley Green, Old Hill and Lye stations will be rescheduled with changes to stops.

Richard Dugdale, senior sponsor for Network Rail, said: "There is never a good time to close the railway for any length of time but we have looked at all options and worked with London Midland and CrossCountry to complete this work at a time which will cause least disruption to passengers.

“Our Railway Upgrade Plan is delivering significant investment into the railway network which will provide a better, more reliable railway for passengers.”

But residents living near to the tracks in Bromsgrove have already suffered sleepless nights as a result of the late-night electrification work, which began in January this year.

One reader, Alan Ward, who lives in Alcester Road in Finstall, wrote to the Advertiser earlier this month after a "very loud hammering" noise woke him at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Others have taken to social media to complain about the noise, with one Aston Fields resident writing on Facebook: "I've heard non stop shouting and noise from the builders all night every night from 12 in the morning until eight in the morning. It's horrible, I'm so sleep deprived."

A spokesman for Network rail said: "We appreciate that there will be some disruption to neighbours who live near to the work being carried out at Bromsgrove station and we would like to thank everyone affected for their patience.

“We have worked with Worcestershire Regulatory Services, the local authority and the train operators to ensure that we cause least disruption to passengers and neighbours. We will be holding a drop-in event at the station closer to the beginning of the closure of the line which will give interested parties the chance to ask any questions they may have directly to those involved in the project.

“The work which will, among other advantages, allow three trains per hour to run to and from Birmingham and will provide a better more reliable railway for passengers and will be a welcome boost to the town, the benefits of which we are sure will be felt by all.”

Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid said:  “It’s important for the work at the station to be completed. This will bring in long-term benefits for residents with more reliable services. Any disruption caused by the works must be kept to a minimum."