Plans to transform major transport hub move forward
Plans to transform Birmingham International Station into a major transport hub have taken a significant step forward after Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s cabinet agreed to submit a £286m business case to government.
The business case details the opportunity to create a multi-modal hub bringing together future high speed rail, existing rail, air, trams, buses, private vehicles, taxis and bicycles through seamless connections to Birmingham Airport and the new HS2 Interchange Station by 2025.
Cllr Ian Courts, deputy leader of Solihull Council, said: “This project is critical as it will create an iconic gateway to the West Midlands with sustainable, resilient transport connections.”
It follows an 18-month feasibility study led by the Urban Growth Company, a special-delivery vehicle set up by Solihull Council in 2016 to deliver infrastructure and development across The Hub site, near Junction 6 of the M42 in Solihull.
Nick Brown, chairman of the Urban Growth Company, said: “It has the potential to be one of the busiest stations in the UK but without this transformation it will be a major barrier to sustainable economic growth here in Solihull, and that will impact on the wider West Midlands.”
Brown added: “Since Birmingham International Station opened in the 1970s, passenger numbers have exceeded all expectations. We now have a scenario where there simply isn’t enough capacity and the passenger experience could be so much better.
“With the HS2 Interchange Station on its way, major growth at Birmingham Airport and the NEC, and nearby Jaguar Land Rover going from strength-to-strength, passenger numbers at Birmingham International Station are forecast to triple over the next 20 years.”
The Urban Growth Company’s Growth & Infrastructure Plan has predicted that The Hub, which includes a transformed Birmingham International Station, has the wider potential to create up to 77,500 new jobs, 775,000 sq m of commercial space and £4.1bn GVA per year.
The business case will now be submitted to the WMCA and the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) in order to secure funding to progress the project to design stage and delivery.
