HS2 has made a number of improvements to its plans for Curzon Street station in Birmingham to improve the passenger experience, accessibility, and internal layout.
Included in the revised plans are additional cycle parking, rainfall capture in planted areas, landscaping, lighting, paving, and seating spaces.
There will also be better accessibility at pedestrian entrances, durable external ceramic tiling; and a more unified internal layout of the eastern concourse so that passengers can change platforms without leaving the station.
In addition to better accessibility and simplified access between platforms, there will be additional cycle parking and more seats.
HS2’s construction partner Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV), working with design partners Arcadis and WSP Joint Venture, and Grimshaw architects, have produced the latest designs which will be submitted.
The building’s design has been inspired by the great arched roofs favoured by Victorian railway pioneers, but with an aluminium roof instead of timber for better fire safety and is more cost effective to maintain.
The southern entrance of the Eastern Concourse has been redesigned to provide better links with Digbeth, and the building edge is now set back to create a covered area.
Washable and graffiti-proof coloured ceramic tiling will be used for the fascias instead of concrete cladding originally proposed, and an accessible ramp route, as well as steps, will be provided.
At the main arrival area, there will be a taxi drop-off, pickup point, and taxi ranks, and dedicated drop-off and blue badge accessible parking spaces. To avoid the need for steps the design of the surface levels has been improved.
A large cycle parking area will be provided next to the eastern side of the concourse near the main cycle route from Digbeth, with extra cycle parking in smaller areas around the eastern concourse near the cycle routes from the north and west of the station.
Drop-in sessions to view the revised designs, before they are submitted to Birmingham City Council for approval will be held on:
- Tuesday 24 September, 10.30am – 7.30pm at the Clayton Hotel, Albert Street, Birmingham B5 5JE
- Saturday 28 September, 10am – 4pm at The Bullring Shopping Centre (Lower Mall, outside Marks and Spencer)
- Thursday 10 October, 12pm – 1pm. This is an online event, with further details available here.
“We’re pleased that these design refinements mark a key step in enhancing the detailed features of Curzon Street Station, which will be an iconic gateway to Birmingham for future HS2 passengers.
Dave Lock, HS2’s Project Client Director for Curzon Street Station
“Birmingham’s Curzon Street Station will be the first new intercity terminus built in Britain since the 19th century. With 21st century design principles, the station will improve accessibility and spur the region’s economy forward.
Jason Millett, Board Member for Mace Dragados joint venture
Responses
I wonder whether it has been considered that Robotaxis will increasingly become the main station to final destination transport. The station needs to allow for Robotaxis to arrive to a waiting area just before their passenger arrives and they need a pickup zone from where passengers will summer n their car from the waiting area. Drop offs would be similar to standard taxi-dropoff. Robotaxi waiting area may need a per minute waiting charge system to stop it getting swamped.
What about access to New Street Station? Surely a dedicated shuttle service is an absolute must if it is be an interchange
It is walkable mate! Might even be quicker that getting stuck in the traffic using shuttle
So it’s the tube from Euston out to Old Oak Common then to Terminus Curzon Street by HS2 before a tram ride to New Street to continue the journey to Wolverhampton …. What a great improvement that will be over the current Pendelino ride from Euston to Wolverhampton
Exactly – is it like building a small airport next to an existing airport, but you then need a shuttle to the other airport to finish the journey? 🤣
Hopefully not a White Elephant after all the costs, scrapping the northern route, revised plans, tramway routing issues. And how long before trains are running…2027? Can the business case be justified if the HS2 trains don’t reach Euston in a sensible time scale.
Well, this is all very laudable, but the Railway itself needs to be more than a high Speed and Price Shuttle service to Londinium. Lets get the Northern and Eastern legs Authorised!
@JohnLavender I agree wholeheartedly. A 100 or 125mph line would be a great asset to the north, even if we can’t have full HS2 status. That would free up valuable capacity on the ECML & WCML for both passenger and freight traffic.
I trust that the new Curzon Street station will incorporate at least the facade of the original Victorian station – one of the oldest peices of railway architecture in the country. Or are they simply going to bull-doze it without a thought?
Id hazard a guess that like the rest of the country It’ll be bulldozed without thought of anything other than greed!
Old station is a listed building
The Curzon Street Station will stay along with the Woodman pub opposite
Neither. The old building is next to the station and adjacent to a cracking pub.
Yes, the original station building is literally shown alongside the new in one of the images!
Were the Great Central stations not built in the 20th century?
Yes. Relevance please.