HS2 reveals design vision for new stations in Birmingham and Solihull
Published: Tuesday 09 Oct 2018
This is the first image of how the Birmingham station at the heart of Britain's new high speed rail network could look.
HS2 will today (Tuesday October 9) officially unveil images of the region's two stations - Curzon Street Station in Birmingham city centre (pictured below) and Interchange - close to the National Exhibition Centre and airport in Solihull.
The publication of the initial designs marks a significant milestone for the programme, cementing the project's commitment to the West Midlands and emphasising the region's place at the centre of the new network.
Design proposal for the HS2 Curzon Street Station in Birmingham city centre
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: These brand new stations will be catalysts for regeneration, creating jobs and opportunities for local people and economic benefits for Birmingham and the Midlands.
Curzon Street station will put Birmingham at the heart of Britain's new high speed network and enhance the rail connectivity for the city, whilst Interchange provides a once in a life time opportunity to help drive the growth of the region
The publication of the images kicks off a series of public engagement events during October, which give people the opportunity to see the new designs and give feedback.
Curzon Street station in Birmingham's Eastside district will be the first brand new intercity station built in Britain since 19th century, creating a new landmark for the city and boosting opportunities for regeneration.
Opening with seven high speed platforms in 2026, the new station will not only be for high speed rail passengers, it will be a brand new public space in the city centre.
It will be fully integrated into an extended West Midlands Metro tram network, as well as offering pedestrian, cycle, taxi, bus and conventional rail connections to the rest of the city and the wider West Midlands.
Interchange station will be a new major gateway station for the region and part of a new public transport interchange serving Solihull, the West Midlands, Birmingham Airport and the NEC. The station will help deliver longer term development and growth proposals for the area around the station, including new homes, business space and jobs.
HS2 is also considering a number of extra elements to the scheme put forward by the Urban Growth Company (UGC) which aim to maximise the opportunities the new HS2 Interchange Station presents as a key catalyst for growth.
Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport and the Mayor marked the start of works on the site of the future Curzon Street station last week.
Works are well underway on 60 sites across the route from London to Birmingham, with over 7,000 jobs supported by the programme across the country on the way to 30,000 jobs at peak construction.
HS2 CEO Mark Thurston said: Both of these new stations will be transformational for the Midlands and will create opportunities for regeneration, growth and economic benefits for the city and region. Preparatory work for the stations is well under way, with a variety of enabling works including the construction of access roads and archaeological investigations.
As part of our plans to deliver a ‘green corridor' across the whole route, we're also creating new ecological habitats, community and amenity spaces to help integrate the new line and our stations into the surrounding landscape and environment. All of this activity is already creating job opportunities not just in the region, but across the whole country
Both stations have been designed with features to make it easy and simple for passengers to navigate the stations, access the platforms and connect seamlessly to other forms of transport.
WSP UK Ltd, working with Grimshaw Architects LLP is designing Curzon Street and Arup is designing Interchange station.
The series of engagement events for both stations will run through October. These will give people the opportunity to understand HS2's design vision for the stations, share thoughts on the accessibility and use of the stations, and get more information on the next stages in the design process and planning submissions. More information on the events and locations can be found on HS2's Commonplace websites: HS2 in Solihull and HS2 in Birmingham.