BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL UPGRADE PLANNED

Dramatic roof: architect’s impression of how Birmingham International station could look at platform level.

A £9.27 MILLION funding package has been secured to progress the design for an upgrade of Birmingham International station.

The Urban Growth Company (UGC), set up by Solihull Council to maximise the benefits of HS2’s arrival, secured the funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority and will appoint consultants to progress the technical design of the station and design and build contractors to undertake physical delivery. The entire project is expected to cost £286 million and is planned to be delivered by December 2025, in time for the opening of HS2 to the Birmingham Interchange station the following year.

The aim of the project is to create a fully integrated transport exchange, linking International to the HS2 station. The exchange would combine existing rail services and HS2 with air, buses, rapid transit, an extended Midland Metro, an automated people mover and private vehicle connections. The UGC predicts the hub has the potential to create up to 77,500 new jobs, 4,000 new homes and deliver £4.1 billion of gross valued added each year.