As of May 2019, following the electrification of the line north of Walsall, West Midlands Trains began operating 2tph (Mon–Sat) from Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham International with 1tph continuing to Northampton or London Euston.

[10] In July 2012, the coalition government announced the electrification of the Chase Line between Rugeley Trent Valley and Walsall, with work scheduled to take place from 2014.

The work originally had an estimated completion date of December 2017, but previously unknown mine shafts underneath the track meant that many bases for the overhead infrastructure had to be redesigned.

The electrification itself created over 1,300 jobs in the area and generated a further £113 million of gross value added (GVA) benefit per annum, as well as reducing the operating costs of the line.

In May 2014, London Midland announced that it was intending to run longer trains[16] on the route, requiring station platforms to be extended to accommodate.

Gavin Williamson, Conservative MP for South Staffordshire, campaigned to limit the speed of trains through Great Wyrley and Cheslyn Hay when the upgrade work of the line was to be completed.

He wrote to then Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin, to request confirmation that trains travelling through the areas would not exceed a speed of 45 mph.

[17] He also requested that "environmental mitigation measures" be put in place to reduce the potential impact of the electrification on residents in South Staffordshire.