Fort Dunlop, the former Birmingham tyre warehouse transformed into offices, could get its own railway station.

A study is looking at re-opening stations along the Birmingham Tamworth line closed in the Beeching cuts in the 1960s.

It is hoped the rapid growth of housing and employment along the corridor will convince Network Rail of an economic case for new stations at Fort Dunlop, Castle Bromwich, Castle Vale and Kingsbury in Warwickshire.

Birmingham City Council has agreed to contribute £20,000 to the study, led by West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority Centro and completed by September.

The investigation will look at re-introducing passenger services on the Sutton Park Line from Birmingham to Aldridge via Walsall and the Camp Hill line between Kings Heath and Moor Street.

Record-breaking commercial interest in Fort Dunlop - derelict for 25 years - has seen nearly all of the 321,000 sq ft of office space let by owners Urban Splash within a year.

The Birmingham Post and Mail heads an impressive list of companies which have announced they are relocating to offices alongside the M6.

Other tenants include city council ICT provider Service Birmingham, construction company Fitzpatrick, office provider Regus, insurance broker Premium Choice and international manufacturing technologies company MAG.

About 2,500 jobs are likely to be based on the site.

If the study shows re-opening lines is feasible, a business case will be prepared and submitted to Network Rail.

David Bull, the city council assistant director of development strategy, warned existing services between Birmingham and Tamworth could not accommodate the passengers likely to be generated by new housing and employment.

Council leaders regard the provision of new stations and better rail services as essential if worsening congestion at peak times along the A38 Tyburn Road and the A47 Heartlands Spine Road is to be reduced.

Mr Bull added: "There are significant employment locations close to the proposed station sites which would widen travel to work opportunities for residents and encourage regeneration.

"Introduction of improved services to Tam-worth, Coleshill Parkway and new services to Castle Bromwich, Fort Dunlop and others would allow new park-and-ride opportunities in a corridor poorly served at present, particularly in Birmingham."

Re-introducing passenger services to the Sutton Park Line and providing stations on the Birmingham Tamworth line is dependent on building a new £70 million rail link to Moor Street Station via Bordesley Green. This would allow services to terminate at Moor Street rather than the over-crowded New Street.

The Bordesley link would allow for the introduction of a new 30-minute service to Kings Norton via Moseley and Kings Heath on the Camp Hill line.

Network Rail has put in a bid to begin acquiring the land needed for the link, but the Department for Transport is yet to decide whether to finance the scheme in its 2009-2014 spending programme.

Martin Mullaney, chairman of the council transportation scrutiny committee, believes it would make economic sense for the Government to encourage the provision of new stations.

Coun Mullaney (Lib Dem Moseley & Kings Heath) said: "We are trying to persuade people to leave cars at home and use public transport. But we have got to make sure that sufficient public transport opportunities exist.

"Each new station would only cost about £1 million, but the Government has to decide whether it is prepared to stump up the money for the Bordesley link.

"The fact is people would be able to travel on the train to the city centre from Kings Heath in eight minutes, while it takes 40 minutes by car."