Birmingham HS2 station plans are inadequate, Centro tells DfT

Centro has criticised HS2 Ltd’s plans for the high-speed rail station on the eastern edge of Birmingham city centre, saying the proposed connections with the rest of the city centre are inadequate. 

The Curzon Street station plans are described in the environmental statement and accompanying transport assessment for the London-West Midlands line, which is currently out to public consultation.

HS2 Ltd forecasts that when the line opens in 2026, 1,760 people will board or alight trains at Curzon Street in the AM peak hour. Of these, 750 will use the classic rail network to reach the station or their destinations; 480 will walk/cycle; 340 will use the bus; 90 will use taxis; 50 will be dropped off/picked up by cars; and 60 will be long stay car parkers.

Of the 750 passengers using train services, two-thirds are expected to interchange with Birmingham New Street station and just under a third will interchange with Moor Street station.

Centro chief executive Geoff Inskip said the proposed connections with New Street and Moor Street station were inadequate. 

“There is still no acknowledgement nor measurement in the environmental statement of the interchanging time between Curzon Street and Birmingham New Street particularly for those with mobility difficulties, or heavy luggage, who may be unable to walk the significant distances,” he told councillors.

Inskip described the plan to build a pedestrian bridge to connect Curzon Street and Moor Street as “not fit for purpose”. 

“A fully integrated station design is required that effectively treats Moor Street station and the HS2 station as a single entity and facilitates seamless transfer between the high-speed and domestic stations.”

Centro believes New Street-Curzon Street accessibility should be enhanced by extending the Midland Metro light rail network to the high-speed station – and it wants the Government to fund the link. HS2 Ltd’s plans for Curzon Street mention the possibility of a Metro extension but Inskip said discussions with the company had made little progress. 

“The design of the station, its highway access arrangements, the proposals for urban realm and landscaping mitigation appear to take little account of Metro,” he added.

The Wolverhampton-Birmingham Midland Metro line is currently being extended across Birmingham city centre from Snow Hill to New Street – completion is planned for 2015 – and a further extension as far as Centenary Square in the city centre’s west end is planned for delivery by 2018/19. 

Centro is due to launch a public consultation this month on route options for the Curzon Street branch. “Birmingham City Council is currently developing its Curzon masterplan, including proposals for a Midland Metro route along New Canal Street serving both the Curzon Street station and the very significant proposed regeneration and growth in Digbeth,” Inskip explained.

More bus stop capacity is also needed at Curzon Street station, says Centro.

The PTE is also pressing for design changes to the HS2 route. Centro says the bridge carrying HS2 over the West Coast Main Line at Berkswell, between Coventry and Birmingham, must allow for the future four-tracking of the classic lines.

It also wants HS2 to include provision for a connection between HS2 and the existing rail network at a point between Water Orton and Washwood Heath in east Birmingham. 

This would allow ‘classic compatible’ train services to run on HS2 and into Birmingham New Street station and beyond, opening up the prospect of high-speed services to a wider range of destinations.

Discuss this at LTT's Rail-Led Development: A Catalyst for Growth conference on the 27 Feb in London. HS2's head of land and property will be speaking.