Birmingham Curzon Street railway station is the planned northern terminus of Phase 1 of
High Speed 2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
in the city centre of
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, England. The new railway will connect Birmingham to via and . Curzon Street will have seven terminal platforms and is planned to open in 2026.
The station, the design for which has been developed by
WSP and
Grimshaw Architects
Grimshaw Architects (formerly Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners) is an architectural firm based in London. Founded in 1980 by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the firm was one of the pioneers of high-tech architecture. In particular, they are known for their d ...
, will be surrounded by new public spaces, include a pedestrian link to the adjacent railway station, and be integrated with an extended
West Midlands Metro
The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmi ...
tram network.
Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local council area in the United Kingdom ...
plans to use the location of the new station to promote development within the city, especially the redevelopment of the
Eastside and
Digbeth areas.
History
Site
The station will be constructed on land bounded by Curzon Street, Eastside Park & Moor Street Queensway, built partially on the site of the former
Curzon Street railway station, historically the first station serving London to Birmingham trains. The remaining Classical stone entrance building is now a
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
listed building, applied by
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...
for "buildings of exceptional interest".
The site is located to the east of the city centre, in the
Eastside and
Digbeth areas, in the valley of the
River Rea
The River Rea (pronounced "ray") is a small river which passes through Birmingham, England. It is the river on which Birmingham was founded by the Beorma tribe in the 7th century. Since 2012, TA Media had obtained the rights and access to th ...
. It was densely developed until the late 20th century and is the most historically industrialised area of the city; the
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...
arrived in the 18th century, and the
London and North Western,
Midland and
Great Western railways were all built through this part of the city in the 19th century.
The character of the site and surroundings has been in transition in recent years. Eastside has focused on learning and innovation, and is the location of
Birmingham City University
, mottoeng = "Do what you are doing; attend to your business"
, established = 1992—gained university status1971—City of Birmingham Polytechnic1843—Birmingham College of Art
, type = Public
, affiliation = ...
,
Aston University
Aston University (abbreviated as ''Aston''. for post-nominals) is a public research university situated in the city centre of Birmingham, England. Aston began as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School in 1895, evolving into the UK's first ...
and the
ThinkTank science museum. Digbeth is covered by a
conservation area, marking it historically important in respect of its distinct character.
Digbeth has become an arts and technology hub. The
Digbeth Branch Canal
The Digbeth Branch Canal in Birmingham, England is a short canal which links the mainline of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal at Aston Junction and the Grand Union Canal at Digbeth Junction (or historically, at the adjacent Warwick Bar) in ...
is located to the east of the site, connecting to the wider city network.
A large proportion of the site has remained
brownfield
In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...
or car parking, retaining only remnants of its previous industrial use. The site was also the location of the Park Street Gardens Burial Grounds which has been removed as part of the site remediation works. As well as the entrance of the 1838 station, the neighbouring
Grade II listed pub,
The Woodman
The Woodman is a public house on Albert Street in Birmingham, England that is Grade II listed. It stands beside the Eastside City Park and the abandoned, but listed, Curzon Street railway station which will be part of the new station being de ...
, will be incorporated into the redevelopment; the
Fox & Grapes, a listed pub previously situated on Park Street, was demolished in 2018, which attracted strong criticism.
Construction
Construction is due to complete in 2026–29.
At the start of 2019, the site was cleared. As at all HS2 sites, site clearance was followed by an extensive archaeological programme, in this case involving 70 archaeologists, which unearthed what is thought to be the world's oldest railway roundhouse adjacent to the old Curzon Street station. Built to a design by the 19th century engineer
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS HFRSE FRSA DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", he built on the achievements of his father ...
, the roundhouse was operational on 12 November 1837 – predating the current titleholder of "world's oldest" in
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
by almost two years.
Other demolitions and ground investigations are preparing the site for construction, and utility diversions are set to begin in summer 2020.
The tender for the main construction contractor was opened by HS2 in January 2020 for £571million. HS2 was forced to halt the original procurement process the previous July due to a "lower-than-anticipated market appetite" from bidders.
In April 2020,
planning permission
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building per ...
for the new station, including concourses, roof, viaduct, and platforms was granted by the City Council, the first HS2 station to gain it. The Council's report concluded "the
tation design istruly world class. The elegant and (deceptively) simple form of the main station building clearly reads as a railway station and harks back to traditional station architecture, delivering this in a confident and contemporary way".
In June 2020, HS2 announced that
Laing O’Rourke
Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, England. It was founded in 1978 by Ray O'Rourke. It is the largest privately owned construction company in the United Kingdom.
History
The company was founded by ...
, a pairing of
Mace and
Dragados
ACS, Actividades de Construcción y Servicios, S.A. () is a Spanish company dedicated to civil and engineering construction, all types services and telecommunications. It is one of the leading construction companies in the world, with projects i ...
, and a joint venture between
BAM Nuttall
BAM Nuttall Limited (formerly known as Edmund Nuttall Limited) is a construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Camberley, United Kingdom. It has been involved in a portfolio of road, rail, nuclear, and other major projects worldw ...
and
Ferrovial
Ferrovial, S.A. (), previously Grupo Ferrovial, is a Spanish multinational company involved in the design, construction, financing, operation (DBFO) and maintenance of transport infrastructure and urban services. It is a publicly traded company ...
had been shortlisted for the contract to build the station.
It was confirmed in May 2021 that Mace Dragados had won the contract, in a deal worth up to £570million. Mace Dragados will work with HS2 Ltd in two stages to finalise the detailed design and then build the station.
Design
The design for Curzon Street station was developed by the consultancy
WSP and
Grimshaw Architects
Grimshaw Architects (formerly Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners) is an architectural firm based in London. Founded in 1980 by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the firm was one of the pioneers of high-tech architecture. In particular, they are known for their d ...
for High Speed 2. Initial designs were consulted on in autumn 2018 and evolved ones in January 2020.
The station building is roughly oriented north east to south west. The principal train shed consists of an arched roof, intended to be the architectural signature of the station, clad in metal panels with a significant projection both at the east and western ends of around . The railway line will continue eastwards elevated on a viaduct over Park Street and New Canal Street, with retail, trams and public space beneath. The old Curzon Street station will be incorporated into the eastern entrance of the new station and connected using a masonry colonnade screen between the historic structure and the new HS2 station viaducts and eastern concourse at New Canal Street. The renovated building will have a visitor centre and office space that will be
used by HS2 Ltd, Birmingham City University and
Historic England
Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...
.
The design also improves access to different modes of transport: the
West Midlands Metro
The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmi ...
tram service will run alongside and underneath the station, while accessible pedestrian routes lead to local bus services,
Sprint rapid transit bus services and train services at the nearby
Moor Street railway station. Cycle parking has also been incorporated, providing space for more than 550 bicycles.
The new station is planned to be
net zero carbon in operation, and is designed to meet
BREEAM
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), first published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, is the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of ...
Excellent, an industry standard for buildings that reduce energy usage and materials waste, and minimise impact on the natural environment.
Services
On completion of the second phase of HS2, there will be nine departures and nine arrivals per hour.
References
{{Current rail infrastructure projects in the United Kingdom
High Speed 2
Proposed buildings and structures in Birmingham, West Midlands
Proposed railway stations in England
Transport in Birmingham, West Midlands