University station unveils new buildings with grand opening
The new buildings at the University Railway Station will welcome passengers for the first time on Sunday, January 28th.
New additions to the station include expanded entrances, staircases, and exits catering to the nearby University of Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, alongside enhanced circulation areas and waiting zones, platform lifts, an expanded ticket office, and upgraded customer amenities.
The primary pavilion structure also incorporates space designated for a forthcoming café or convenience store, with further details soon to be disclosed, as well as an NHS facility situated on the first level.
In anticipation of continued growth in visitor numbers, the new station has been designed to cater to a capacity of up to 7.2 million passengers per year.
The station’s opening follows a three-year construction time frame, during which operations continued uninterrupted.
This included the installation of new bridges spanning both the active railway line and the Birmingham to Worcester canal, two pavilion-style structures, one of which is positioned on the island between the rail line and canal, the construction involved intricate logistics, necessitating materials to be manuevered via crane.
The initial phase of the development focused on the extension and broadening of platforms, complemented by the installation of new canopies, all of which were completed in advance of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) have led the development in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the NHS University Hospitals Birmingham Trust, Birmingham City Council, the Department for Transport, Network Rail, West Midlands Trains and Cross Country Trains.
TfWM were supported by their delivery partner SLC-AECOM Joint Venture and VolkerFitzpatrick who worked on the design and construction of the station.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of both the WMCA and WMRE, said: “Given the millions of people a year the University of Birmingham and QE Hospital collectively draw in, it’s been clear for some time that a new fit-for-purpose station was needed. So I’m pleased that finally – despite the sometimes less than ideal pace of progress – we can unveil the new University Station.
“From the outset, the project team have involved partners at the University of Birmingham and the NHS in a collaborative approach that has ensured the building has been designed and delivered to meet their needs. It’s good news that we now have a superb gateway for thousands of people arriving at University every day – no longer having to queue on stairs and funnel through what was a fairly tiny building on their way to lectures or hospital appointments. This is a high-quality facility that will serve local people in the months and years ahead.”
Neil Gaskin, route programme director for Network Rail, said: “I’m delighted to see the opening of the upgraded University station, providing the millions of passengers that use the station each year with a fantastic and fit-for-purpose station that supports the ambitions of the city and the significant growth in passengers expected in the years to come.
“This has been a highly complex project and I am proud of how hard our teams have worked in close conjunction with our partners to deliver a station upgrade, whilst keeping the railway open, that makes journeys to the university and nearby hospital much easier for all passengers and encourages people to travel by rail, the cleanest and greenest way to travel.
