The current New Street Station isn’t known for its spacious design and good facilities. It has been, in the past, described as unwelcoming, run down and an eye sore.
As part of Birmingham’s ‘Big City Plan’ to rejuvenate the city, the Birmingham Gateway Project aims to transform the station and bring it up to date. With a ‘grand’ concourse to be developed at 3.5 times bigger than the current one, the new station is designed to be more accessible to passengers. The plans have brighter and clearer platforms and 8 pedestrian entrances.
New Street was last redeveloped in the 1960’s and is the busiest station in the country outside of London. Over 140,000 passengers use the station every day which is double the number it was initially designed to accommodate.
A new John Lewis department store will be created to the south side of the station, covering 4 floors and 250,000Sq Ft. The store has been designed by Foreign Office Architects who also designed the new station.
The first half of the redeveloped station is set to open in 2012, and the John Lewis store in 2014. The full project is estimated to be complete in 2015.
Network Rail has launched a public consultation exercise as part of the planning application process for the John Lewis store. Last week, the public were able to take a closer look at the design of the new station and submit their views on the project. Representatives from Network Rail were also on hand to answer any questions.
The plans for the station feature 30 escalators, 15 lifts and 190 bicycle parking facilities to encourage greener travel to and from the station (the current station has 24). At the centre of the design is a large ‘atrium’ to fill the station with natural light.
At the unveiling of the station model, a spokesperson for Network Rail said; ” We have taken 7500 tonnes of concrete out of the old car park to create the new concourse so far. The concourse and tracks will be covered by decking to create an open public space.”
The redevelopment of the station is set to have minimal disruption to passengers, with “the station remaining open throughout.”
A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said that “the regeneration of Birmingham is something we fully support and the station is an important part of this.”
Passengers travelling through the station who stopped to have a look at the model, also seemed to have positive comments regarding the project. One said that “this will be a really good thing for Birmingham” and another said; “I think this will increase the amount of people who come here for the shopping, the station at the minute isn’t a nice way to arrive into the city and hopefully this will change that.”
As the spokesperson for Network Rail said, “New Street’s biggest asset is its location, it will always be a huge station and a crucial part of the West Midland’s transport network.”
