Plans have been lodged for design “refinements” for Birmingham’s new flagship high speed railway station. Those behind the proposals for Curzon Street Station, the city centre terminus of the controversial HS2 line, say the design changes will help to “future proof” the station.
They include a change in material from timber to aluminium within the station roof due to recently tightened fire standards. The eastern concourse has also been replanned, creating a single paid concourse and making it possible for passengers to change platform without leaving the ticketed area.
Construction work on the station began in January last year amid optimism it would drive investment and serve as an example of the city’s ambition. However, the HS2 project has faced problems in the past due to delays, cost increases and decisions from central government to scrap sections of the line from Birmingham to the north of England.
READ MORE: Birmingham Colmore Gate plans set to refurbish ‘dark and uninviting’ city passageway
Consent for Curzon Street Station, based on an outline scheme design, was secured in 2020 from Birmingham City Council (BCC). Since then, HS2 appointed Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV) as its construction partner, who were responsible for progressing the detailed design and construction of the station.
It would later reveal proposed design “refinements” last year in September. Dave Lock, HS2’s project client director for Curzon Street Station, said at the time that they marked a “key step in enhancing the detailed features of Curzon Street Station”.
“Once built, the station will strengthen Birmingham’s transport connections, support the regeneration of Eastside and Digbeth, and play a vital role in the long-term economic future of the West Midlands,” he said. Jason Millett, board member for MDJV, said: “These refinements will enhance the station further and enable the use of future-proofed materials.”
As construction work on Curzon Street Station officially got under way towards the start of 2024, local leaders were asked whether they were confident the first trains between Birmingham and London would run between 2029 and 2033. Former West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said at the time: “That timetable for the southern leg really does look viable.
The Curzon Street Station construction site
(Image: HS2)
“Of course, that sounds a long way away for passengers but for investors, that’s not far away at all so it should be driving that investment in the city centre now”. Coun Liz Clements, former cabinet member for transport at the city council, said back then that she was hopeful the project would show Birmingham’s ambition as a city.
“We’ve got a Future City Plan that’s all about greening our city, making it a place where people can visit and invest, and Curzon Street will absolutely be at the centre of that,” she said. Scrapping phase two of the HS2 to Manchester in October 2023, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said money would be spent on alternative rail, road and bus schemes instead.
Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester at the time, he said the costs of the project had soared and added it had been repeatedly delayed.