The vital work has seen improvements made to the historic Birmingham & Worcester canal alongside the redevelopment of the University railway station

A 48m temporary cofferdam was put in place to allow the essential repair work to go ahead, creating a dry working environment which allowed the work to go ahead safely and also allowed for the relocation of fish and aquatic life present in the water prior to pumping it out. Following this procedure, specialists were able to carry out the repointing work alongside other improvements to the supporting canal wall.

The improvement work took just one week to complete, with the Canal able to remain fully open during the work which was carried out in a bid to support the Canal & River Trust following the installation of a canal footbridge last month. The project has seen the partners working closely together with the Canal & River Trust to carry out this work safely.

The canal footbridge is a major feature of the University railway station redevelopment, as it will provide direct access both to and from the station from the university campus.

Ongoing work is being carried out by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and its partners to create develop a new fit-for-purpose station with up to date facilities with the ability to handle 7.2 million passengers a year.

TfWM have committed to the life-extension works on behalf of the Canal & River Trust as part of the agreement to install the new footbridge.

Malcolm Holmes, director of rail for TfWM said:

“Once complete the new station will provide a much-improved environment for visitors to the University and QE Hospital – including a convenient new bridge over the canal.

“But it is important that while building this fantastic new station we look after the local environment which is why we agreed to carry out this important work to strengthen the bank and extend the life of this historic canal.”

SLC Rail are working together with AECOM as Rail Delivery Partner with Volker Fitzpatrick LTD being the Principal Contractor for the project.

Chris Schoolar, construction manager from SLC Rail said:

“There has been a lot of work involved in getting these repairs arranged and we’ve made sure that there has been minimal disruption for canal users, whilst also protecting fish and other aquatic life.

“We’ve been liaising very closely with the Canal & River Trust and other interested parties and ensured that this fits in with our ambitious schedule.”

TfWM, WMCA, and West Midlands Rail Executive are leading an association which includes the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, West Midlands Trains, the Department for Transport, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP, Canal & River Trust, SLC-AECOM, CrossCountry Trains and Midlands Engine to fund and develop the project.

This ongoing project is just part of the region’s extensive plans to build six new stations and reopen Camp Hill and Wolverhampton to Walsall lines for passenger services and will also help towards the West Midlands’ target of becoming a net-zero carbon area by 2041.

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