Birmingham New Street Station
Encyclopedia
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham
, England, located in the city centre
. It is an important hub for the British railway system
, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line
, the Cross Country Route, and the Birmingham to Peterborough Line
. It is also a major hub for local and suburban services in the West Midlands
, including those on the Cross City Line between Lichfield
and Redditch
.
New Street is the busiest railway station in the United Kingdom outside London and sixth-busiest station in the UK for interchange purposes. According to Network Rail
, which manages the station, over 40.1 million people use it annually, 87% of whom are passengers. With almost 4 million passengers changing trains at the station annually, it is also by far the busiest rail hub outside London.
The original New Street station was built in the Victorian era
. This was demolished and replaced by the current station in the 1960s. An enclosed station, with buildings over most of its span, New Street is not popular with its users, with a customer satisfaction rate of only 52% - the joint lowest of any Network Rail major station. A £550m redevelopment scheme named Gateway Plus was awarded full funding by the British government in February 2008, and new designs were unveiled in September 2008. Work started on the redevelopment a year later.
Birmingham is also served by Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill
. On the outskirts, closer to Solihull
, is Birmingham International
, which serves the airport and National Exhibition Centre
.
The station is allocated the IATA location identifier QQN.
New Street station was built as a joint station by the London and North Western Railway
and the Midland Railway
between 1846
and 1854 to replace several earlier unconnected rail termini, most notably Curzon Street
.
It opened in 1851 as a temporary terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway. The station was constructed by Messrs. Fox, Henderson & Co. and designed by A. E. Coowper of that firm. When completed, it had the largest iron and glass roof in the world, spanning a width of 212 feet (65 m) and being 840 feet (256 m) long. It held this title for 14 years. It was formally opened on 1 June 1854, although it had already been in use for two years. The Queen's Hotel was opened on the same day and its telegraphic address became "Besthotel Birmingham".
Midland railway trains that had used Curzon Street began to use New Street from 1854. However, those going south towards Bristol would have to reverse, so many continued through Camp Hill
. Increasing congestion meant that the Midland spent £500,000 on enlargements, which included a second train shed to the south of Great Queen Street, which became a central carriageway. Queen's Drive was lost in the rebuilding of the 1960s, but the name is now carried by a new driveway which serves the car park and a tower block
, and is the access route for the station's taxis
.
Some through trains to the southwest began in 1885, with a new underpass from Derby Junction to Grand Junction, independent of the LNWR, and a new south tunnel in 1896. The new Midland Railway station opened alongside the original LNWR station on 8 February 1885. This station consisted of two trussed arches, 58 feet (18 m) wide by 620 feet (189 m) long, and 67 in 6 in (20.57 m) wide by 600 feet (183 m) long. It was designed by F. Stevenson, Chief Engineer to the LNWR. By the end of the 19th century, New Street had become one of the busiest railway stations in the country.
In 1923, the LNWR and Midland Railway, with others, were grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
(LMS) by the Railways Act 1921
. In 1948
, the railways were nationalised and came under the control of British Railways.
The roof of the original station sustained heavy damage as a result of enemy bombing in the Birmingham Blitz
of World War II
, and was demolished between 1948 and 1952.
modernisation programme. In 1964, demolition of the original New Street station and Queen's Hotel began and was not completed until 1966
. The new New Street station was finished in 1967.
The rebuilt station was designed by Kenneth J. Davies, lead planner for the London Midland Region at British Rail. The new station had sold its air rights, leading to the construction of the Pallasades Shopping Centre
(then known as the Birmingham Shopping Centre) between 1968 and 1970. Also above the station is a nine-storey office block designed by Cotton, Ballard & Blow, who also designed the Exchange Place building overlooking the ramp from New Street leading into the Pallasades Shopping Centre. On top of the station is a car park. The station and the Pallasades are now partly integrated with the Bullring Shopping Centre via elevated walkways above Smallbrook Queensway. Alongside the station, a residential 20-storeys tower block, Stephenson Tower, was built between 1965 and 1966, designed by the City Architect of Birmingham
. The tower is on a long lease and administered by Birmingham City Council, but Network Rail owns the freehold.
Currently, New Street handles about 80% of passengers travelling to, from or through Birmingham.
Three escalators currently provide access to the Pallasades Shopping Centre, and two lifts provide access to a subway underneath the platforms. The subway has lifts for access to the 'A' end of all platforms. There are escalators from the concourse down to the 'B' end of each platform (except platforms 1 and 12). All 12 main platforms, except platform 4c, are through platforms. This results in most platform changes, and access to the concourse, requiring use of the escalators, stairs, or lifts. The main platforms are all long enough to accommodate two relatively short trains.
New Street does not have automatic ticket barriers. Instead, station staff inspect tickets at peak times, while at off-peak times there is often no ticket checking. Birmingham New Street hosts a British Transport Police
station. Since summer 2001, the distinctive automated announcements have been provided by voice artist Phil Sayer
, and delivered by a computerised service provided by Ditra Systems.
In 1987, twelve different horse sculptures by Kevin Atherton, titled Iron Horse, were erected between New Street station and Wolverhampton. One stands on a platform at New Street.
s or stairs. Some lift
s are available for disabled people.
at New Street was completed in 1964. The signal box is a brutalist
building with corrugated concrete architecture, designed by Bicknell & Hamilton in collaboration with W. R. Healey, the regional architect for British Railways London Midland Region. The four-storey structure is at the side of the tracks connected to Navigation Street. It is now a Grade II listed building.
magazine. New Street was voted joint worst station for customer satisfaction with Liverpool Lime Street
and East Croydon
, with only 52% satisfied; the national average was 60%.
A feasibility study into the redevelopment of the station site was approved in January 2005. A regeneration scheme was launched in 2006. Since then, the scheme has taken various forms, and various names, such as Birmingham Gateway, Gateway Plus, and New Street Gateway. This proposed complete rebuilding of the street-level buildings and refurbishment of the platforms, with track and platform level remaining essentially unchanged. A target date given for completion was 2013.
In February 2008, the then Secretary of State for Transport
, Ruth Kelly
, announced that the Department for Transport would provide £160 million on top of the £128 million that is to be provided through the government White Paper Delivering a Sustainable Railway. A further £100 million would be provided by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and channelled through Advantage West Midlands
, the regional development agency. The announcement brought total government spending on the project to £388 million. After earlier proposals were discarded, six architects were shortlisted to design the new station following a call for submissions, and it was announced in September 2008 that the design by Foreign Office Architects had been chosen.
The fact that the Gateway development leaves the railway capacity of the station more or less unaltered has not escaped attention. In July 2008 the House of Commons Transport Committee criticised the plans: it was not convinced they were adequate for the number of trains which could end up using the station. It said if the station could not be adapted, the government needed to look for alternative solutions.
Designs were shown to the public in February 2006 for a new Birmingham New Street Station in a project known as Gateway Plus. The plans featured a foyer of open space with a multi-storey entrance. The roof would be made completely of glass to allow natural light to enter the entrance hall. The façade would have rounded edges and the Pallasades Shopping Centre
above the station would remain.
Various alternatives to the Gateway schemes have been put forward, including building a new main station on a different site, and diverting trains to Snow Hill
and Moor Street stations (the latter of which would mean either restoration of Moor Street's bay platforms or a reduction in services). One such scheme is Birmingham Grand Central Station, proposed by Arup.
The approved planning application submitted to the council in August 2006 shows a glass façade with rounded edges. The entrance on Station Street originally included two curved 130-metre-tall towers on the site of Stephenson Tower. Due to the economic slowdown, the office space is not needed, and the "twin towers" plan has been shelved until the market picks up.
Work began on Gateway Plus on 26 April 2010. The building work will be done in phases, to minimise disruption to passengers and shoppers. Building work is expected to last until at least 2015.
New Street is a hub for Cross Country Trains and London Midland, which both have a train-crew depot at the station. Some trains are stabled at New Street in the through roads or the non-passenger bays behind Platform 12, but mostly trains are taken to their respective depots. London Midland uses Soho TMD in Smethwick for electric traction units, with its non-electric units kept at Tyesley TMD. Cross Country also uses Tyesley for its non-Voyager stock, with its Voyagers based at their purpose-built depot near Burton on Trent.
The platforms are divided into A and B ends, with an extra bay platform called 4C, with the B end of the station heading towards Wolverhampton. Longer trains such as the Class 390 service to London Euston and Cross Country HST services are numbered without an associated letter, since they occupy both ends of the platforms. Platform 4C can be used only for services heading through Monument Lane tunnel towards Wolverhampton. All signalling is controlled by New Street power signal box at the Wolverhampton or B end of the station.
Virgin Trains
CrossCountry
Some services continue towards Glasgow, Aberdeen, Guildford and Penzance.
London Midland
Arriva Trains Wales
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England, located in the city centre
Birmingham City Centre
Birmingham city centre is the business, retail and leisure hub of Birmingham, England. Following the removal of the Inner Ring Road, the city centre is newly defined as being the area within the Middle Ring Road. Birmingham city centre is undergoing massive redevelopment with the Big City Plan...
. It is an important hub for the British railway system
Rail transport in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and previously consisted of Great Britain and the whole of Ireland. Rail transport systems developed independently on the two islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and most of the railway construction in the Republic of Ireland was...
, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
, the Cross Country Route, and the Birmingham to Peterborough Line
Birmingham to Peterborough Line
The Birmingham to Peterborough Line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham to Peterborough, via Nuneaton and Leicester....
. It is also a major hub for local and suburban services in the West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
, including those on the Cross City Line between Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
and Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
.
New Street is the busiest railway station in the United Kingdom outside London and sixth-busiest station in the UK for interchange purposes. According to Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, which manages the station, over 40.1 million people use it annually, 87% of whom are passengers. With almost 4 million passengers changing trains at the station annually, it is also by far the busiest rail hub outside London.
The original New Street station was built in the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. This was demolished and replaced by the current station in the 1960s. An enclosed station, with buildings over most of its span, New Street is not popular with its users, with a customer satisfaction rate of only 52% - the joint lowest of any Network Rail major station. A £550m redevelopment scheme named Gateway Plus was awarded full funding by the British government in February 2008, and new designs were unveiled in September 2008. Work started on the redevelopment a year later.
Birmingham is also served by Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...
. On the outskirts, closer to Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, is Birmingham International
Birmingham International railway station
Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
, which serves the airport and National Exhibition Centre
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
.
The station is allocated the IATA location identifier QQN.
The first railway station
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
and the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
between 1846
1846 in rail transport
-January events:* January 13 - Opening of the Milan–Venice railway's bridge over the Venetian Lagoon between Mestre and Venice in Italy.-March events:* March 26 - John M...
and 1854 to replace several earlier unconnected rail termini, most notably Curzon Street
Curzon Street railway station
Curzon Street railway station was a railway station in Birmingham that was used briefly for regular scheduled passenger services between 1838 and 1854 when it acted as the terminus for both the London and Birmingham Railway and the Grand Junction Railway, with lines connecting Birmingham to London...
.
It opened in 1851 as a temporary terminus of the London and Birmingham Railway. The station was constructed by Messrs. Fox, Henderson & Co. and designed by A. E. Coowper of that firm. When completed, it had the largest iron and glass roof in the world, spanning a width of 212 feet (65 m) and being 840 feet (256 m) long. It held this title for 14 years. It was formally opened on 1 June 1854, although it had already been in use for two years. The Queen's Hotel was opened on the same day and its telegraphic address became "Besthotel Birmingham".
Midland railway trains that had used Curzon Street began to use New Street from 1854. However, those going south towards Bristol would have to reverse, so many continued through Camp Hill
Camp Hill railway station
Camp Hill railway station was a railway station in Birmingham opened by the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway in 1840 and was its first terminus.Subsequently the line extended to join the London and Birmingham Railway to the latter's Curzon Street terminus....
. Increasing congestion meant that the Midland spent £500,000 on enlargements, which included a second train shed to the south of Great Queen Street, which became a central carriageway. Queen's Drive was lost in the rebuilding of the 1960s, but the name is now carried by a new driveway which serves the car park and a tower block
Tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
, and is the access route for the station's taxis
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
.
Some through trains to the southwest began in 1885, with a new underpass from Derby Junction to Grand Junction, independent of the LNWR, and a new south tunnel in 1896. The new Midland Railway station opened alongside the original LNWR station on 8 February 1885. This station consisted of two trussed arches, 58 feet (18 m) wide by 620 feet (189 m) long, and 67 in 6 in (20.57 m) wide by 600 feet (183 m) long. It was designed by F. Stevenson, Chief Engineer to the LNWR. By the end of the 19th century, New Street had become one of the busiest railway stations in the country.
In 1923, the LNWR and Midland Railway, with others, were grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
(LMS) by the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
. In 1948
1948 in rail transport
In 1948, 14 railroads in North America owned more than 1,000 steam locomotives each. See also: Historical sizes of railroads- January events :* January 1 - All major railways in Great Britain are nationalised under terms of the Transport Act 1947, the Big Four British railway companies In 1948, 14...
, the railways were nationalised and came under the control of British Railways.
The roof of the original station sustained heavy damage as a result of enemy bombing in the Birmingham Blitz
Birmingham Blitz
The Birmingham Blitz was the heavy bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe of the city of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, beginning on 9 August 1940 and ending on 23 April 1943...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and was demolished between 1948 and 1952.
The current railway station
The station was rebuilt in the 1960s as part of the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
modernisation programme. In 1964, demolition of the original New Street station and Queen's Hotel began and was not completed until 1966
1966 in rail transport
-January events:* January - GM introduces the EMD SD40.* January - GE introduces the GE U28B.* January 3 - British Rail begins full electric passenger services over the West Coast Main Line from Euston to Manchester and Liverpool with 100 mph operation from London to Rugby...
. The new New Street station was finished in 1967.
The rebuilt station was designed by Kenneth J. Davies, lead planner for the London Midland Region at British Rail. The new station had sold its air rights, leading to the construction of the Pallasades Shopping Centre
Pallasades Shopping Centre
The Pallasades is a shopping centre located in Birmingham, England opned in 1971. The centre was built as part of the reconstruction of Birmingham New Street railway station, and was formerly known as Birmingham Shopping Centre...
(then known as the Birmingham Shopping Centre) between 1968 and 1970. Also above the station is a nine-storey office block designed by Cotton, Ballard & Blow, who also designed the Exchange Place building overlooking the ramp from New Street leading into the Pallasades Shopping Centre. On top of the station is a car park. The station and the Pallasades are now partly integrated with the Bullring Shopping Centre via elevated walkways above Smallbrook Queensway. Alongside the station, a residential 20-storeys tower block, Stephenson Tower, was built between 1965 and 1966, designed by the City Architect of Birmingham
City Architect of Birmingham
The City Architect of Birmingham was a high-ranking position within the Public Works department of Birmingham City Council and provided the holder with a lot of power in the planning decisions of Birmingham, especially in the post-war period in which Birmingham underwent enormous regeneration...
. The tower is on a long lease and administered by Birmingham City Council, but Network Rail owns the freehold.
Three escalators currently provide access to the Pallasades Shopping Centre, and two lifts provide access to a subway underneath the platforms. The subway has lifts for access to the 'A' end of all platforms. There are escalators from the concourse down to the 'B' end of each platform (except platforms 1 and 12). All 12 main platforms, except platform 4c, are through platforms. This results in most platform changes, and access to the concourse, requiring use of the escalators, stairs, or lifts. The main platforms are all long enough to accommodate two relatively short trains.
New Street does not have automatic ticket barriers. Instead, station staff inspect tickets at peak times, while at off-peak times there is often no ticket checking. Birmingham New Street hosts a British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
station. Since summer 2001, the distinctive automated announcements have been provided by voice artist Phil Sayer
Phil Sayer
Phil Sayer is a British professional voice artist. Since 2003, he has been one half of the Sayer Hamilton voice studio, in partnership with his wife, Elinor Hamilton...
, and delivered by a computerised service provided by Ditra Systems.
In 1987, twelve different horse sculptures by Kevin Atherton, titled Iron Horse, were erected between New Street station and Wolverhampton. One stands on a platform at New Street.
Disabled access
Passengers generally get to platforms using stairs and passengers leave platforms using escalatorEscalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s or stairs. Some lift
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s are available for disabled people.
New Street signal box
The power signal boxSignal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
at New Street was completed in 1964. The signal box is a brutalist
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
building with corrugated concrete architecture, designed by Bicknell & Hamilton in collaboration with W. R. Healey, the regional architect for British Railways London Midland Region. The four-storey structure is at the side of the tracks connected to Navigation Street. It is now a Grade II listed building.
Redevelopment
New Street has been described as one of the most run-down and unwelcoming of major British railway stations. Some of this can be blamed on the sub-surface nature of the station and the 1960s architecture, but that it is built below the dated Pallasades shopping arcade also contributes to New Street's perceived negative ambience. In November 2003 it was voted the second biggest "eyesore" in the UK by readers of Country LifeCountry Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
magazine. New Street was voted joint worst station for customer satisfaction with Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
and East Croydon
East Croydon station
East Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
, with only 52% satisfied; the national average was 60%.
A feasibility study into the redevelopment of the station site was approved in January 2005. A regeneration scheme was launched in 2006. Since then, the scheme has taken various forms, and various names, such as Birmingham Gateway, Gateway Plus, and New Street Gateway. This proposed complete rebuilding of the street-level buildings and refurbishment of the platforms, with track and platform level remaining essentially unchanged. A target date given for completion was 2013.
In February 2008, the then Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
, Ruth Kelly
Ruth Kelly
Ruth Maria Kelly is a British Labour Party politician of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010...
, announced that the Department for Transport would provide £160 million on top of the £128 million that is to be provided through the government White Paper Delivering a Sustainable Railway. A further £100 million would be provided by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and channelled through Advantage West Midlands
Advantage West Midlands
-Advantage West Midlands – Regional Development Agency:Advantage West Midlands was established in 1999 as one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England. RDAs were created by the UK Government to drive sustainable economic development and social and physical regeneration through a...
, the regional development agency. The announcement brought total government spending on the project to £388 million. After earlier proposals were discarded, six architects were shortlisted to design the new station following a call for submissions, and it was announced in September 2008 that the design by Foreign Office Architects had been chosen.
The fact that the Gateway development leaves the railway capacity of the station more or less unaltered has not escaped attention. In July 2008 the House of Commons Transport Committee criticised the plans: it was not convinced they were adequate for the number of trains which could end up using the station. It said if the station could not be adapted, the government needed to look for alternative solutions.
Designs were shown to the public in February 2006 for a new Birmingham New Street Station in a project known as Gateway Plus. The plans featured a foyer of open space with a multi-storey entrance. The roof would be made completely of glass to allow natural light to enter the entrance hall. The façade would have rounded edges and the Pallasades Shopping Centre
Pallasades Shopping Centre
The Pallasades is a shopping centre located in Birmingham, England opned in 1971. The centre was built as part of the reconstruction of Birmingham New Street railway station, and was formerly known as Birmingham Shopping Centre...
above the station would remain.
Various alternatives to the Gateway schemes have been put forward, including building a new main station on a different site, and diverting trains to Snow Hill
Birmingham Snow Hill station
Birmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...
and Moor Street stations (the latter of which would mean either restoration of Moor Street's bay platforms or a reduction in services). One such scheme is Birmingham Grand Central Station, proposed by Arup.
The approved planning application submitted to the council in August 2006 shows a glass façade with rounded edges. The entrance on Station Street originally included two curved 130-metre-tall towers on the site of Stephenson Tower. Due to the economic slowdown, the office space is not needed, and the "twin towers" plan has been shelved until the market picks up.
Work began on Gateway Plus on 26 April 2010. The building work will be done in phases, to minimise disruption to passengers and shoppers. Building work is expected to last until at least 2015.
Operations
New Street is the hub of the West Midlands rail network, as well as being a major national hub. The station is owned and managed by Network Rail, which provides all the operational staff for the station itself. Booking office and barriers are split between Virgin Trains and London Midland, with customer service or floor walker staff provided by Cross Country. Virgin Trains operates a First Class Lounge, and Network Rail runs the customer reception on the main concourse. ARRIVA Trains Wales runs services into New Street, and the station has also seen services operated by Silverlink Trains and Wales & West in the past, although these companies are now defunct. New Street is a Penalty Fare zone which is operated by London Midland on its trains and at the manual ticket barriers at the station; this can be by-passed by the lifts which are seldom barred – the lift area is generally monitored for suspect people and information is passed on to revenue protection staff who investigate.New Street is a hub for Cross Country Trains and London Midland, which both have a train-crew depot at the station. Some trains are stabled at New Street in the through roads or the non-passenger bays behind Platform 12, but mostly trains are taken to their respective depots. London Midland uses Soho TMD in Smethwick for electric traction units, with its non-electric units kept at Tyesley TMD. Cross Country also uses Tyesley for its non-Voyager stock, with its Voyagers based at their purpose-built depot near Burton on Trent.
The platforms are divided into A and B ends, with an extra bay platform called 4C, with the B end of the station heading towards Wolverhampton. Longer trains such as the Class 390 service to London Euston and Cross Country HST services are numbered without an associated letter, since they occupy both ends of the platforms. Platform 4C can be used only for services heading through Monument Lane tunnel towards Wolverhampton. All signalling is controlled by New Street power signal box at the Wolverhampton or B end of the station.
Train services
The basic Monday to Saturday off-peak service is as follows:Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
- 3tph to London EustonEuston railway stationEuston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
- 1tph to
- of which 1tp2h continues to Glasgow CentralGlasgow Central stationGlasgow Central is the larger of the two present main-line railway terminals in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879 and is currently managed by Network Rail...
and 1tp2h continues to Edinburgh WaverleyEdinburgh Waverley railway stationEdinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
- of which 1tp2h continues to Glasgow Central
- 1tph to WolverhamptonWolverhampton railway stationWolverhampton railway station in Wolverhampton, West Midlands is on the West Coast Main Line. It is served by London Midland, CrossCountry, Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains Wales.-History:...
CrossCountry
CrossCountry
CrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva...
- 2tph to
- of which 1tph continues to via
- 1tph to
- 2tph to via
- 1tph to via
- of which 1tp2h continues to
- 2tph to
- 2tph to
- of which 1tph continues to
- 1tph to via
- 2tph to
- of which 3tp2h continue to
- of which 1tph then continues to
- of which 3tp2h continue to
Some services continue towards Glasgow, Aberdeen, Guildford and Penzance.
London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
- 6tph to
- of which 2tph continue to )
- 6tph to
- of which 4tph continue to
- of which 2tph then continue to )
- of which 4tph continue to
- 2tph to (calling at all stations)
- 3tph to (fast)
- of which 1tph continues to and 2tph continue to
- 1tph to (all stations)
- 3tph to (various stopping patterns)
- of which 2tph continue to
- of which 1tph then continues to
- of which 2tph continue to
- 1tph to via
- 4tph to (alternately fast via Soho Junction and stopping via )
- of which 1tph continues to
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
- 1tph to
- 1tph to
- of which 1tp2h continues to and (dividing at ) and 1tp2h continues to
See also
- Gateway Plus
- Birmingham Snow Hill stationBirmingham Snow Hill stationBirmingham Snow Hill is a railway station and tram stop in the centre of Birmingham, England, on the site of an earlier, much larger station built by the former Great Western Railway . It is the second most important railway station in the city, after Birmingham New Street station...
- Birmingham Moor Street railway stationBirmingham Moor Street railway stationBirmingham Moor Street railway station is one of three main railway stations in the city centre of Birmingham, England. The Grade II listed old station building has been partially renovated to its 1930s condition at a cost of £11 million....
- Transport in BirminghamTransport in BirminghamBirmingham is a major transport hub, due in part to its location in central England. Public transport in the city is overseen by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive whose public brand is Centro/Network West Midlands.-Railways:-History:...
- West Midlands Passenger Transport ExecutiveWest Midlands Passenger Transport ExecutiveThe West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive , sometimes known as Centro, is a local government organisation responsible for certain transport services in the West Midlands county in England....
- Commuter rail in the United KingdomCommuter rail in the United KingdomUrban rail, commuter rail, regional rail, or suburban rail, plays a key role in the public transport system of many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail is defined as a rail service between a central business district and suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a...
Further reading
- A History of Birmingham, Chris Upton, 1997, ISBN 0-85033-870-0.
- Birmingham New Street. The Story of a Great Station Including Curzon Street. 1 Background and Beginnings. The Years up to 1860. By Richard Foster. Wild Swan Publications Limited (1990) ISBN 0-906867-78-9
- Birmingham New Street. The Story of a Great Station Including Curzon Street. 2 Expansion and Improvement. 1860 to 1923. By Richard Foster. Wild Swan Publications Limited (1990) ISBN 0-906867-79-7
- Birmingham New Street. The Story of a Great Station Including Curzon Street. 3 LMS Days. 1923-1947 By Richard Foster. Wild Swan Publications Limited (1997) ISBN 1-874103-37-2
- Birmingham New Street. The Story of a Great Station Including Curzon Street 4 British Railways. The First 15 Years. By Richard Foster. Wild Swan Publications Limited (Publication awaited).
- Smith, Donald J. (1984).New Street Remembered: The story of Birmingham's New Street Station 1854-1967 In words and pictures. Birmingham: Barbryn Press Ltd. ISBN 0-906160-05-7.
External links
- New Street - New Start
- Warwickshire's Railways the history of the county's railways from 1838 to 1968
- 1890 Ordnance Survey map of the station
- Rail Around Birmingham and the West Midlands: Birmingham New Street station
- Building a model of Birmingham New Street station
- 1967 ATV report on station rebuilding and opening