Passengers have been getting their first look inside the spectacular new central atrium at the revamped Birmingham New Street station.
New Street fully reopened to passengers on September 20, following a five-year, £750 million redevelopment.
As well as a much larger concourse, the new station offers easier access to platforms and has transformed the interchange into a shopping destination, with the UK’s largest John Lewis store at its heart.
Britain’s busiest station outside of London, the former 1960s era New Street was only designed to accommodate up to 60,000 passengers a day. During the station’s reconstruction around 170,000 people were travelling through New Street every day.
Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “Birmingham New Street sits right at the heart of our rail network and the transformation which has taken place here is nothing short of stunning. The station is now bigger, brighter and better able to meet the needs of the growing number of people who use it each day.
“As Britain’s second city, Birmingham deserves a station of this calibre and, along with Grand Central, the investment we have made will help support the local economy and regenerate large parts of city centre.
“Rebuilding one of the busiest stations in the country without impacting on passengers’ journeys has been a major challenge, but I’m extremely proud to say that Network Rail and our partners on this project have done just that. That’s a significant achievement for everyone who has helped build this fantastic new station of which they, and all of Birmingham, can be very proud indeed.”
