Network Rail
Birmingham New Street’s 150-year history revealed as station switchover nears.
A selection of original plans and drawings detailing the 150-year history of Birmingham New Street have been published for the first time, as passengers await the opening of the first half of the station’s new concourse in under a week’s time – the first major change to New Street station in over 40 years.
The station has remained largely unchanged since it was last redeveloped in 1967 and in more recent years has been the focus of much criticism as numbers of people using the railway has increased, with more than double the passengers using New Street today than it was designed for. The experience for passengers is poor, with the station being too dark, busy and overcrowded with inadequate access to platforms. This month, everything changes as the halfway point of the station transformation is reached.
To mark the closure of the old concourse later this month, the Network Rail archive team has for the first time published the original plans and drawings of the station on its virtual archive. Some of the plans date back to the 19th century, showing the layout of the original station which opened in 1854 as well as the 1960’s rebuild. The online exhibition can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive/new-street
Vicky Stretch, Network Rail archivist said: “Since publishing the first railway architectural plans on our virtual archive over a year ago, it has been fascinating to gradually work through our collection of over five million records to see what other elements of the railway’s history we can uncover. With the imminent unveiling of the new concourse at Birmingham New Street, we’ve been searching for the original plans and drawings of the station and have found some of great interest and importance at this exciting time of change for passengers. Very little survives for the original nineteenth century New Street, but what we do have, along with a collection of the more familiar 1960s station, is now published online.”
New Street wasn’t always the eyesore that has proved so unpopular in the city in recent years. When the original station first opened in 1851, it was the largest in the country, encompassed by the largest single span arched roof in the world at 212ft wide and 840ft long. Constructed by the same team who built Paddington station, New Street in its original guise was a grand structure and typical of 19th century architecture and only rivalled by the arrival of St Pancras in 1868.
When the new concourse opens at the end of this month, it will be one-and-a-half times bigger than the current one, featuring all of the facilities expected in a major station, with a new, larger and improved ticket office and new lifts and escalators improving access to platforms.
Ahead of the 28 April, the final public exhibition giving comprehensive information about the station switchover will take place on the main concourse at New Street between 7am-7pm Tuesday (April 23) and Friday (April 26) and 9am-7pm on Saturday (April 27).
Network Rail is delivering the project alongside its delivery partner Mace.
Upon completion in 2015, the project will deliver:
- Space to accommodate passenger growth: the new concourse will be three and a half times bigger than at present and will be enclosed by a giant atrium which will flood the station concourse and shopping centre with natural light.
- Better access for all: over 30 new escalators and 15 new public lifts will make it much easier to travel between the platforms and the concourse above.
- Cutting edge design: a stunning new station façade will create a new landmark building in the heart of Birmingham.
- A revitalized city centre: the new Grand Central Birmingham anchored by the John Lewis department store will offer new retail brands alongside quality places to eat and drink, cementing Birmingham’s reputation as one of the UK’s top retail destinations.
- Regeneration and economic growth: new pedestrian links will open up the city centre, stimulating regeneration and creating new jobs. We’re also working to open up job opportunities to the local workforce during construction.
- The station will remain open throughout the redevelopment.
Once the new concourse opens, the Network Rail & Mace delivery team will turn their attention to redeveloping the old station concourse and the remainder of the Pallasades shopping centre. The centre will be transformed into a new premium fashion and lifestyle shopping destination, Grand Central Birmingham, incorporating a four storey John Lewis, over 40 more shops and more than 15 cafes and restaurants. The station redevelopment completes in 2015.
Major changes on 28th April include:
To mark the closure of the old concourse later this month, the Network Rail archive team has for the first time published the original plans and drawings of the station on its virtual archive. Some of the plans date back to the 19th century, showing the layout of the original station which opened in 1854 as well as the 1960’s rebuild. The online exhibition can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive/new-street
Vicky Stretch, Network Rail archivist said: “Since publishing the first railway architectural plans on our virtual archive over a year ago, it has been fascinating to gradually work through our collection of over five million records to see what other elements of the railway’s history we can uncover. With the imminent unveiling of the new concourse at Birmingham New Street, we’ve been searching for the original plans and drawings of the station and have found some of great interest and importance at this exciting time of change for passengers. Very little survives for the original nineteenth century New Street, but what we do have, along with a collection of the more familiar 1960s station, is now published online.”
New Street wasn’t always the eyesore that has proved so unpopular in the city in recent years. When the original station first opened in 1851, it was the largest in the country, encompassed by the largest single span arched roof in the world at 212ft wide and 840ft long. Constructed by the same team who built Paddington station, New Street in its original guise was a grand structure and typical of 19th century architecture and only rivalled by the arrival of St Pancras in 1868.
When the new concourse opens at the end of this month, it will be one-and-a-half times bigger than the current one, featuring all of the facilities expected in a major station, with a new, larger and improved ticket office and new lifts and escalators improving access to platforms.
Ahead of the 28 April, the final public exhibition giving comprehensive information about the station switchover will take place on the main concourse at New Street between 7am-7pm Tuesday (April 23) and Friday (April 26) and 9am-7pm on Saturday (April 27).
Notes:
To explore the original plans and drawings of Birmingham New Street station and many other historic stations, bridges and tunnels, visit Network Rail’s virtual archive, www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive.
The redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station and the Pallasades Shopping Centre is backed by Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, Department for Transport, Centro and Advantage West Midlands.Network Rail is delivering the project alongside its delivery partner Mace.
Upon completion in 2015, the project will deliver:
- Space to accommodate passenger growth: the new concourse will be three and a half times bigger than at present and will be enclosed by a giant atrium which will flood the station concourse and shopping centre with natural light.
- Better access for all: over 30 new escalators and 15 new public lifts will make it much easier to travel between the platforms and the concourse above.
- Cutting edge design: a stunning new station façade will create a new landmark building in the heart of Birmingham.
- A revitalized city centre: the new Grand Central Birmingham anchored by the John Lewis department store will offer new retail brands alongside quality places to eat and drink, cementing Birmingham’s reputation as one of the UK’s top retail destinations.
- Regeneration and economic growth: new pedestrian links will open up the city centre, stimulating regeneration and creating new jobs. We’re also working to open up job opportunities to the local workforce during construction.
- The station will remain open throughout the redevelopment.
Once the new concourse opens, the Network Rail & Mace delivery team will turn their attention to redeveloping the old station concourse and the remainder of the Pallasades shopping centre. The centre will be transformed into a new premium fashion and lifestyle shopping destination, Grand Central Birmingham, incorporating a four storey John Lewis, over 40 more shops and more than 15 cafes and restaurants. The station redevelopment completes in 2015.
Major changes on 28th April include:
- The existing vehicle and pedestrian entrance outside the front of the station on Smallbrook Queensway will close, with vehicle access moving across to a new drop off area and short stay car park located off Hill Street
- Passengers travelling from Moor Street station and pedestrians on Smallbrook Queensway will be able to access the new concourse via the new Moor Street link pedestrian walkway which links the east side of the station to the new entrance on Stephenson Street.
- Passengers can still access the station from Pallasades and Bullring through a new set of escalators which link the shopping centre above down to the new concourse.
- The Victoria Square entrance on Navigation Street will close to passengers as new entrances will open onto Stephenson Street and Hill Street
- The station taxi rank will temporarily move to Navigation Street
HS2
Recent Press releases.....
23rd April 2013
HS2 Ltd recommends tunnel under Ealing and Northolt...
Britain’s high speed rail network could be tunnelled under Ealing and Northolt in a move that would be 15 months quicker to build and minimise disruption to residents and traffic in north west London.
Continue Reading Here..
19th April 2013
Euston Station to become vibrant destination as part of plans for HS2
Euston Station will be redeveloped and improved to become the gateway to the great cities of the Midlands and North as part of plans for HS2. And under new proposals this could be achieved without the need to lower and rebuild all the existing platforms – minimising disruption to commuters and residents.
Euston Station will be the terminus for High Speed Two, but further work done by HS2 Ltd to look at the best way to accommodate high speed trains has found most of the benefits for Euston could be achieved without having to knock down and rebuild the entire station.
Continue Reading Here
International Railway Journal
MADRID Metro announced on April 23 it will rename one of its lines Line 2 Vodafone and the city's most central station Vodafone-Sol after reaching a three-year €3m agreement with the mobile telephone company.
DELHI Metro Rail Corporation, which is responsible for implementing the new two-line metro under construction in Jaipur, has awarded a contract to Thales for a passenger information system.
KNORR-Bremse opened a new manufacturing facility in Itupeva in São Paulo state, Brazil, on April 17 following a Reais 111m ($US 55.6m) investment.
www.progressiverailroading.com US News
www.railway-technology.com Updates
Staffordshire Alliance starts first stage work on Stafford Area Improvement Programme The Staffordshire Alliance, comprising Atkins, Laing O'Rourke, Network Rail and VolkerRail, has started the first phase of work on a £250m project to enhance passenger capacity on the Stafford section of the West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main Line (WCML) in the UK.
CSR Puzhen to supply Bombardier Flexity 2 trams to Nanjing
CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock (CSR Puzhen), a partner of Bombardier, has secured a contract from the city of Nanjing in China to supply 15 catenary-free low-floor trams.
Rideau Transit Group starts construction on Ottawa light rail project
The Rideau Transit Group (RTG) has begun preliminary construction work on the Ottawa Light Rail Transit (OLRT) project, also called the Confederation Line transit project.
Construction starts on Scotland's Borders Railway
Network Rail and principal contractor BAM Nuttall have started main construction works on the £294m Borders Railway project in Scotland, following six months of preparations.
More news at...
Shedmaster Railway News
News on the Indiana Gateway, and those looking to land a job on the California High Speed Rail Project can get special training thanks to a new state grant...
World Heritage & Railway News
The final 'mystery visitor' has been confirmed for the Cotswold Steam Celebration on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, 24-27 May 2013. The seventh engine in an impressive line-up for this spectacular event is Standard 4MT 2-6-4T no. 80072 from the Llangollen Railway.
Railway Engineering News
railwaygazette.com reports from NORWAY: Infrastructure manager Jernbaneverket has awarded Skanska a NKr1·34bn contract to build a 9 km section of a new 23·5 km alignment between Farriseidet and Porsgrunn suitable for 250 km/h running.
UK Parliament Transport Select Committee
New EU legislation misses chance to improve cross-border rail
The European Commission’s 4th Railway Package, focuses too much on liberalising the railway in domestic markets at the expense of important measures to improve cross-border freight and passenger services, warns the Transport Committee in the UK Parliament in a report published today.
Launching the report Committee Chair Louise Ellman MP said:
“There are some real problems with cross-border rail, such as high track access charges and different rules for authorising rolling stock. These issues affect both passenger and freight services, including operations through the Channel Tunnel.
“Unfortunately, the Commission’s proposals do not address some of the main impediments to cross-border rail, particularly track access charges, and there is no sign of practical improvements in border controls.
“Proposals to encourage cross-border rail have widespread support but could be put at risk by measures to liberalise domestic rail markets that are likely to be strongly resisted elsewhere in the EU and won’t significantly affect the UK.”
The Committee broadly welcomes the Package but recommends the UK Government should actively negotiate to ensure:
“There are some real problems with cross-border rail, such as high track access charges and different rules for authorising rolling stock. These issues affect both passenger and freight services, including operations through the Channel Tunnel.
“Unfortunately, the Commission’s proposals do not address some of the main impediments to cross-border rail, particularly track access charges, and there is no sign of practical improvements in border controls.
“Proposals to encourage cross-border rail have widespread support but could be put at risk by measures to liberalise domestic rail markets that are likely to be strongly resisted elsewhere in the EU and won’t significantly affect the UK.”
The Committee broadly welcomes the Package but recommends the UK Government should actively negotiate to ensure:
- joint working between Network Rail and train operators is not prohibited or unduly restricted
- metro and light rail systems are not affected by the proposals to separate infrastructure and service operators;
- the UK’s arrangements for letting train franchises are not challenged;
- governance arrangements for Eurotunnel;
- the maximum annual threshold proposed for rail franchises, which could prevent UK companies bidding for work in other EU countries; and
- the possibility that the EU may become responsible for specifying the content of public transport plans. These should remain the responsibility of national or local governments.
Over 150 speakers from more than 30 countries covering public transport topics from all around the world
When? 26 to 30 May 2013
Where? Geneva, Switzerland
RAIL 32: Celebrating Passenger Rail Throughout Canada.
Our 32nd edition of RAIL profiles passenger rail across Canada, our first edition of exclusively Canadian content since our 5th edition. With features spanning Montreal to Vancouver, we examine Alberta's light-rail systems, the nation's commuter rail providers, the ongoing political battle to improve rail transit in Toronto, and the idea pairing of rail stations and hockey arenas.Download Rail 32 in full .....
- RAIL 32: Celebrating Passenger Rail Throughout Canada (PDF)(6.88 MB)
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