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Birmingham New Street railway station

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"Birmingham New Street" redirects here. For the street, see New Street, Birmingham.
Birmingham New Street
General information
LocationBirmingham City Council
Managed byNetwork Rail
Platforms14 (1-12 + 4c, which is a separate platform and metro platform)
Other information
Station codeBHM
Fare zone1
Key dates
1854First opened
1964Queen's Hotel closed and demolished
1964Power signal box built
1967Rebuilt
2010 - 2015Rebuilt (Includes new atrium)

Birmingham New Street is the largest and busiest of the railway stations serving Birmingham, England. It is in the city centre and is a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Virgin Trains services from London Euston, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley via the West Coast Main Line,[1] and the national hub of the CrossCountry network – the most extensive in Britain, with long-distance trains serving destinations from Aberdeen to Penzance.[2] It is also a major interchange for local and suburban services within the West Midlands, including those on the Cross City Line between Lichfield and Redditch and the Chase Line to Walsall and Rugeley.

New Street is the eighth busiest railway station in the UK and the busiest outside London, with 31.2 million passenger entries and exits between April 2011 and March 2012.[3] It is also the busiest interchange station outside London, with over 5.1 million passengers changing trains at the station annually.[4]

The original New Street station was built in the Victorian era and had the largest single-span arched roof in the world.[5] This was demolished and replaced by the current station in the 1960s. An enclosed station, with buildings over most of its span and passenger numbers more than twice those it was designed for,[5] New Street is not popular with its users, having a customer satisfaction rate of only 52% - the joint lowest of any Network Rail major station.[6]

A £550m redevelopment of the station named Gateway Plus is currently under way. The redevelopment will include a new concourse, a new exterior facade, and a new entrance on Stephenson Street, and is expected be completed in 2015.[7][8] New Street will also become the terminus of the city-centre extension of the Midland Metro, with a new tram stop on Stephenson Street, also expected be finished by 2015.[9]

Around 80% of train services to Birmingham go through New Street.[10] The other major city-centre stations in Birmingham are Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill. On the outskirts, closer to Solihull, is Birmingham International, which serves Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre.

The station is allocated the IATA location identifier QQN.

History

The first railway stations

A view of the original New Street from the early 20th century, showing the LNWR and Midland stations side by side, with Queens Drive between them
The original LNWR station

New Street station was built as a joint station by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and the Midland Railway between 1846 and 1854 to replace several earlier rail termini, most notably Curzon Street.

For the first 31 years, the station was used by LNWR and Midland Railway trains. However in 1885 the Midland Railway opened its own trainshed alongside the original one for the exclusive use of its trains, effectively creating two stations side-by-side. The two companies stations were separated by a central roadway; Queens Drive.

Traffic grew steadily, and by 1900 New Street had become extremely busy, with an average of 40 trains an hour departing and arriving, rising to 53 trains in the peak hours.[11]

Original LNWR station

The station was formally opened on 1 June 1854,[10] although it had already been in use for two years. The station was constructed by Messrs. Fox, Henderson & Co. and designed by Edward Alfred Cowper of that firm. When completed, it had the largest arched single-span iron and glass roof in the world, spanning a width of 212 feet (65 m) and being 840 feet (256 m) long.[10] It held this title for 14 years until St Pancras station opened in 1868.[12][13] The main entrance building on Stephenson Street incorporated Queen's Hotel, designed by J. W. Livock, which was opened on the same day[10] When first opened, New Street was described as the "Grand Central Station at Birmingham".[14]

The main entrance building to the old station on Stephenson Street, incorporating Queen's Hotel, c1910

The roof of the original station sustained heavy damage as a result of enemy bombing in the Birmingham Blitz of World War II. It was demolished shortly after the war and replaced with temporary canopies over the platforms, which remained in use until the station was rebuilt in the 1960s.[15][16]

Midland Railway extension

Midland Railway's extension of New Street station, in 1885

Midland Railway trains that had used Curzon Street began to use New Street from 1854. However, its use by the Midland Railway was limited by the fact that those trains going between Derby and Bristol would have to reverse, so many trains bypassed New Street and ran through Camp Hill. This was remedied in 1885 by the extension into New Street of the Birmingham West Suburban Railway. This allowed through trains to the south-west to run through New Street without reversing.[17]

To cope with the increase in traffic this would bring, the station required an extension. In conjunction with the new link, the Midland Railway opened its extension on 8 February 1885.[10] This extension consisted of a trainshed with two trussed arches, 58 feet (18 m) wide by 620 feet (189 m) long, and 67 feet 6 inches (21 m) wide by 600 feet (183 m) long. It was designed by F. Stevenson, Chief Engineer to the LNWR.[10]

It was built immediately to the south of the original LNWR trainshed, but was linked by a footbridge. Queens Drive became a central carriageway separating the two companies trainsheds.[18] Queens 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.

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.

1960s rebuild

Approach tracks and concrete exterior of 1960s New Street from the east.
The station concourse at rush hour.


The station was rebuilt in the 1960s as part of the West Coast Main Line modernisation programme. In 1964, demolition of the original New Street station and Queen's Hotel began and was not completed until 1966.[19] The new New Street station was finished in 1967. The 1960s station is currently (as of 2013) being redeveloped.

The rebuilt station was designed by Kenneth J. Davies, lead planner for the London Midland Region at British Rail.[20] The concrete constructed design has been widely criticised for being ugly.[21] The station has 12 through platforms which are covered over by a seven acre concrete deck, which is supported by 200 columns, the concourse and other buildings are built above the platforms upon the deck. Escalators, stairs and lifts are provided to reach the platforms from the concourse. The new station had sold its air rights, leading to the construction of the Pallasades Shopping Centre (then known as the Birmingham Shopping Centre) above the station between 1968 and 1970.[20][22][23] The station and the Pallasades are now partly integrated with the Bullring Shopping Centre via elevated walkways above Smallbrook Queensway. Also above the station is a nine-storey office block called Ladywood House,[24] and a multi-storey car park dating from the 1970s. The car park closed in May 2012 and is set to be demolished to provide space for the new concourse and rebuilt.[25] Alongside the station, a residential 20-storeys tower block, Stephenson Tower, was built between 1965 and 1966, designed by the City Architect of Birmingham.[26] The tower was demolished in March 2012 as part of the station redevelopment.[27]

Currently, New Street handles about 80% of rail passengers travelling to, from or through Birmingham.[28]

A train waiting at Platform 2 at New Street

Access

Four escalators currently provide access to the Pallasades Shopping Centre, and there are lifts down to most platforms from the new paid concourse. There are escalators from the concourse down to the 'B' end of each platform (except platform 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. Automated announcements are at present provided by ATOS, using in-house voice artists. Between summer 2001 and summer 2012, the distinctive automated announcements were voiced by professional voice artist Phil Sayer (and latterly also voice artist Celia Drummond), and delivered by a computerised system provided by Ditra Systems.[29]

The station has seen a large increase in passenger numbers in recent years, and this has made overcrowding and closures on safety grounds more common.[30] The station was designed to cater for 650 trains and 60,000 passengers per day. It currently caters for 1,350 trains and over 120,000 passengers per day.[31]

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.[32]

Disabled access

Passengers generally get to platforms using stairs and passengers leave platforms using escalators or stairs. Some lifts are available for disabled people.

New Street signal box

New Street signal box

The power signal box at New Street was completed in 1964.[10] 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.[33] The four-storey structure is at the side of the tracks connected to Navigation Street. It is now a Grade II listed building.[34][35]

Redevelopment

Main article: Gateway Plus
File:New New Street 2011.png
A bird's eye view of the approved redevelopment

In November 2003 it was voted the second biggest "eyesore" in the UK by readers of Country Life magazine.[36] This might be blamed on the sub-surface nature of the station and the 1960s architecture. 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%.[6]

A feasibility study into the redevelopment of the station was approved in January 2005. A regeneration scheme was launched in 2006.[37] 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.

The old 1960s interior design will be rationalised and revamped in the Gateway Plus project.

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.[38] 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.[39] After earlier proposals were discarded, six architects were shortlisted to design the new station following a call for submissions,[40] and it was announced in September 2008 that the design by Foreign Office Architects had been chosen.[41]

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.[42] Designs were shown to the public in February 2006 for a new Birmingham New Street Station in a project known as Gateway Plus.[43]

The approved planning application submitted to the council in August 2006 showed 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.[44]

The final approved plans for the redevelopment will include:[8]

  • A new concourse three and a half times larger than the 1960s concourse, with a domed atrium at the centre to let in natural light.
  • Refurbished platforms reached by new escalators and lifts.
  • A new station facade, and new entrances.
  • The refurbished Pallasades Shopping Centre is to be renamed 'Grand Central Birmingham' and will include a new John Lewis store.[45]

Work began on Gateway Plus on 26 April 2010. Construction will be completed in phases to minimise disruption. The work is expected to last until at least 2015.[46] On 28 April 2013, one half of the new concourse was opened to the public, and the old 1960s concourse was closed for redevelopment, along with the old entrances.[47]

Template:Midland-Metro-Line-One-Ext

Midland Metro extension

New Street station will become the terminus of the Midland Metro extension through the city centre, expected to be completed by 2015. The new tram stop will be alongside the new main station entrance on Stephenson Street, and will provide a link to Snow Hill station and onwards to Wolverhampton.[9][48]

Services

Operations

New Street is the hub of the West Midlands rail network, as well as being a major national hub. The station is one of eighteen owned and managed by Network Rail,[49] 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.

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 most 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, and its Voyagers are 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 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

Map of passenger railways in the Birmingham area

The basic Monday to Saturday off-peak service is as follows:

Virgin Trains

CrossCountry

London Midland

Arriva Trains Wales

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Birmingham
International 		  Arriva Trains Wales
Birmingham - Chester 		  Smethwick
Galton Bridge
  Arriva Trains Wales
Cambrian Line 		 
Terminus   CrossCountry
Birmingham - Leicester 		  Water Orton or
Coleshill Parkway
  CrossCountry
Birmingham - Stansted Airport 		  Coleshill Parkway
Birmingham
International 		  CrossCountry
Bournemouth - Manchester 		  Wolverhampton
Cheltenham Spa   CrossCountry
Bristol-Manchester 		 
Leamington Spa   CrossCountry
Reading-Newcastle 		  Derby
University   CrossCountry
Cardiff-Nottingham 		  Wilnecote
or
Tamworth
Terminus    
Cheltenham Spa   CrossCountry
Plymouth - Edinburgh 		  Tamworth
Duddeston   London Midland
Cross City Line 		  Five Ways
Adderley Park   London Midland
West Coast Main Line 		  Terminus
University   London Midland
Hereford — Birmingham 		  Terminus
Terminus   London Midland
Birmingham-Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury 		  Sandwell and
Dudley
Terminus   London Midland
(Birmingham-Liverpool) 		  Smethwick Galton Bridge or
Coseley
Duddeston   London Midland
Walsall-Wolverhampton (Stopping Services) 		  Smethwick Rolfe
Street
Terminus   Virgin Trains
West Coast Main Line 		  Wolverhampton
Birmingham
International 		  Virgin Trains
Birmingham-London 		  Terminus
  Virgin Trains
Wolverhampton-London 		  Sandwell and
Dudley
  Midland Metro  
  From 2015  
Terminus   Line 1   Corporation Street

See also

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.

References

  1. ^ "Our routes & stations". Virgin Trains. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Routes". CrossCountry. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Estimates of Station Usage 2011/12" (PDF). Office of Rail Regulation. p. 18. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Estimates of Station Usage 2011/12" (PDF). Office of Rail Regulation. p. 19. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Birmingham New Street's 150-year history revealed as station switchover nears" (Press release). Network Rail. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Revamped station tops train poll". BBC News. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
  7. ^ "Birmingham New Street update January 2013" (PDF). Jewellery Quarter Development Trust. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  8. ^ a b "New Street: New Start - The Birmingham Gateway Project". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  9. ^ a b Walker, Jonathan (16 February 2012). "£128m Birmingham Midland Metro extension from Snow Hill Station to New Street Station set to create 1,300 jobs gets go-ahead". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g "Birmingham New Street — History". Network Rail. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  11. ^ "www.warwickshirerailways.com - lnwrbns_str1295c". www.warwickshirerailways.com. Retrieved 28 Feb 2013.
  12. ^ "warwickshirerailways.com - lnwrbns_str1295.htm". warwickshirerailways.com. Retrieved 10 Feb 2013.
  13. ^ "A Selection of Great Victorian Railway Stations". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 10 Feb 2013.
  14. ^ www.warwickshirerailways.com - lnwrbns_str1873
  15. ^ Warwickshirerailways.com 'lnwrbns_str1915'
  16. ^ http://www.newstreetnewstart.co.uk/about-the-development/history.aspx
  17. ^ warwickshirerailways.com
  18. ^ warwickshirerailways.com Plan of original station
  19. ^ Foster, Andy (2007) [2005]. Birmingham. Pevsner Architectural Guides. Yale University Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-300-10731-9.
  20. ^ a b Foster, Andy (2007) [2005]. Birmingham. Pevsner Architectural Guides. Yale University Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-300-10731-9.
  21. ^ Jeffrey, Ben (24 July 2007). "New look for 'ugly' New Street". BBC News. Retrieved 19 Feb 2013.
  22. ^ "Aerial View of New Street Station 1963". Birmingham City Council. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  23. ^ "Birmingham New Street". Network Rail. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  24. ^ "Prime city centre long leasehold for sale". Ladywood House. 2012.
  25. ^ "Pallasades car park to close for demolition and rebuilding" (Press release). New Street: New Start. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  26. ^ "Report No. 7 – New Street Station, Stephenson Street/Navigation Street/Station Street and Smallbrook Queensway, City (C/05066/06/OUT) minutes" (PDF). Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  27. ^ Gibbons, Brett (30 March 2012). "Stephenson Tower finally disappears from Birmingham city centre skyline". Birmingham Post.
  28. ^ "New Street redevelopment 'on-track' for 2007" (Press release). Birmingham City Council. 19 December 2006. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  29. ^ Arnot, Chris (2004). "The face behind The Voice is sorry for the delay today". RailNews. Stevenage. Retrieved 7 July 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  30. ^ "New Street Station Compulsory Purchase Order". Birmingham City Council. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  31. ^ Walker, Jonathan. "New Street Station rebuild gets go-ahead". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  32. ^ Noszlopy, George T. (1998). Public Sculpture of Birmingham including Sutton Coldfield. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-692-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ Foster, Andy (2007) [2005]. Birmingham. Pevsner Architectural Guides. Yale University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-300-10731-9.
  34. ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database ({{{num}}})". National Heritage List for England.
  35. ^ "Listed buildings". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  36. ^ "Windfarms top list of UK eyesores". BBC News. 13 November 2003. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
  37. ^ "Rail Air Rights Towers Planned For Birmingham". Skyscrapernews.com. 2006. Retrieved 26 July 2006.
  38. ^ "Delivering a sustainable railway - White Paper CM7176". Department for Transport. 24 July 2007.
  39. ^ Walker, Jonathan (12 February 2008). "New Street Station rebuild gets go-ahead". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  40. ^ Schaps, Karolin (18 February 2008). "Six architects vie for Birmingham New Street station". Building. London. Retrieved 6 July 2008.
  41. ^ "Transforming New Street Station". Network Rail / Birmingham City Council / Advantage West Midlands / Centro. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
  42. ^ "MPs criticise New Street revamp". BBC News. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  43. ^ Re-New Street: Change at New Street[dead link‍]
  44. ^ Elkes, Neil (24 August 2009). "Twin towers plan for New Street station shelved". Birmingham Mail.
  45. ^ "Grand Central". New Street: New Start. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  46. ^ "Birmingham New Street work to start this year". RailNews. 5 February 2010.
  47. ^ "Birmingham New Street station: Concourse opened". BBC News. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  48. ^ "Birmingham City Centre Extension and Fleet Replacement". Centro. Retrieved 12 Feb 2013.
  49. ^ "Commercial information" (PDF). Complete National Rail Timetable. London: Network Rail. 2011. p. 41. Retrieved 9 January 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
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