Aston Villa fans receive new £25m transport boost as Euro 2028 upgrade begins

Aston Villa fans have received a major transport boost after a new £25m upgrade to Witton Station was confirmed to be underway.

Witton Station is the main station that serves Villa Park on matchdays, and three years after a revamp was proposed, work has finally got underway on improving the station.

Witton Station revamp targeted for Euro 2028

A revamped Witton Station was first proposed on December 21, 2023, and nearly three years later, work has finally got underway.

This will certainly come as welcome news to Aston Villa supporters, with the station widely accepted to be unfit to serve Villa Park on matchdays.

Former Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, said “with its narrow platforms combined with frequent overcrowding, it really does make for a miserable experience.”

However, Aston Villa fans will still be waiting a while before the experience of using Witton Station is improved, with the work not expected to be completed until spring 2028.

This target has been established in response to Villa Park's plans to host four fixtures during Euro 2028, including a round of 16 match.

As a result, the plans are in place to overhaul and improve Witton Station to enhance the ease of use and experience ahead of the tournament, given its role as the main train station serving the Birmingham stadium.

The local council are still working with Aston Villa to finalise exactly how Witton Station will look after the work is completed, although improvements could include passenger ramps to both platforms, wider and deeper platforms and a new pedestrian and cyclist subway under the line at Station Road.

The total cost of the project is estimated at around £25m, although only £4.9m has been committed to upgrading the station thus far, with the remaining funding due in early 2027.

FGG Says: Positive news for supporters

Improvements to the matchday experience are always a positive for supporters, and this will certainly be welcomed by Aston Villa fans who use the train to make their way to Villa Park on matchdays.