Centro has said that plans are being ‘drawn up’ to make it ‘easier, quicker and more pleasant’ to travel between two of Birmingham’s key rail stations and its future high speed rail hub in Eastside.
Centro has appointed city architects Glenn Howells Architects (GHA) to develop detailed proposals for a ‘high quality link’ between Eastside, Moor Street Station, New Street Station and the wider city centre.
More than one million passengers travel the route each year but Centro and the city council hope to create an interchange between the two stations and the high speed (HS2) hub that gives the feel of being in one connected station.
The interchange link is ‘likely to include a high quality pedestrian route and cycling features, Centro said.
Cllr Angus Adams, Chairman of Centro, said:
“Our objective is to improve the quality of the city environment for pedestrians and make changing between different types of public transport safe and attractive.
“This specific programme of work is just part of the first phase of our strategic vision for making it easier, quicker and more pleasant to move around the city centre.”
The detailed design phase will look at improving the St Martin’s Queensway Tunnel which runs under the Bullring shopping centre and forms a major part of the route between the New Street and Moor Street stations.
A planning application for the scheme is expected to be submitted later this year.
It needs expensive consultants to dress it up as more than a walkway because it has not to lose the 20 min saving of using HS2 (and thus a much “overhyped justification for building of same) when you have to walk to any other public transport connection in the city centre
How about breaking out of the “walking/cycling” obsession and put in a rapid transit inner city tube? which would benefit everyone and please the suits from London. The city would double in size with a proper transport system. Give me a spade i’ll dig it myself.
Why us an expensive consultation when they could just extend the trams to cover such a route
Why ues an expensive consultation when they could just extend the trams to cover such a route