New Street Station in the running for UK’s most popular civil engineering project
BIRMINGHAM’S New Street Station and Grand Central development is in the running to become the UK’s most popular civil engineering project.
The massive project, named the winner of this year’s Institution of Civil Engineers West Midlands’ 2016 Annual Awards, is one of those listed for the ICE People’s Choice Award.
It lines up alongside 11 other schemes from around the UK and the public has until November 30 to vote for its favourite.
The winning infrastructure project will be announced in January 2017.
The new-look station was opened by the Queen in November 2015, and features an iconic new atrium over a huge passenger concourse – five times the size of London Euston’s.
It is characterised by brighter, de-cluttered platforms, improved entrances, a range of new facilities and an abundance of natural light over the new concourse.
It has 43 shops at concourse level with the new Grand Central shopping complex above, including one of the UK’s largest John Lewis department stores.
The 450,000 sq ft shopping destination, is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs and attract more than 50 million visitors a year.
ICE said the project had created a dramatic space for rail passengers and redefined the way people use the station – providing them with an impressive new environment for doing business, shopping and socialising.
The project has also boosted the city’s image and is acting as a major catalyst for job creation and regeneration.
Major innovative features of the development are:
• It incorporates a striking 76 metres long x 4 metres high green wall containing over 33,000 plants. The wall not only enhances the cityscape but also encourages biodiversity, and filters out air pollution.
• It is the first ever Network Rail station to incorporate a standalone Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant with the station electricity taken from the plant and waste heat transferred into a city district heating scheme.
• The design and engineering of the station integrated both the old and new structures
• The project created over 3,000 construction jobs, including over 115 apprenticeships.
Stephen Ashton, engineering director, Transportation at Atkins said: “We are very proud to have worked in collaboration with our partner organisations to have delivered this iconic station, which has made such a positive impact in just one year to the city of Birmingham and its visitors.”
Patrick Power, station manager at Birmingham New Street, said: “The transformation of the station is nothing short of stunning. It is now bigger, brighter and better able to meet the needs of the growing number of passengers who use it each day.”
The full list of nominees is:
• Nottingham Express Transit (Phase 2), Nottingham, East Midlands
• Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project, Essex, East of England
• Lee Tunnel Project, Barking, London
• Crag End Landslip Stabilisation, Rothbury, North East
• Manchester Victoria Station Redevelopment, Manchester, North West
• Lagan Weir Footbridge, Belfast, Northern Ireland
• Forth Road Bridge Reopening, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Thorndell Viaduct, Bury, South East
• South Devon Highway, Devon, South West
• Harlech Castle Visitor Centre and Footbridge, Harlech, Wales
• Birmingham New Street Station, Birmingham, West Midlands
• Leeds Station Southern Entrance, Leeds, Yorkshire & Humber
For details on how to vote check here
