HS2 Reveals Revised Design for Flagship Birmingham Station

HS2 HAS REVEALED a series of design enhancements for the railway’s flagship Birmingham Curzon Street station.

The building’s design incorporates the arched roofs built by Victorian railway pioneers with the 21^st century, ensuring accessibility and a focus on the open space and landscaping around it.

The revised designs see the material of the station’s roof changed from timber to aluminium as it is “better for fire safety and more cost effective to maintain”.

Improvements to the station’s arrival areas include a redesign of the southern entrance of the Eastern Concourse to make it more prominent, with the position of the building edge now set back to create a covered area. The façades have also been simplified with washable and graffiti-proof coloured ceramic tiling replacing the original concrete cladding.

Other features include additional cycle parking, better accessibility, rainfall capture in planted areas, more seating spaces, and simplified access between platforms.

HS2 Flagship Station

Consent for the station, based on an outline scheme design, was secured in 2020 from Birmingham City Council. Since that time, HS2 has appointed Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV) as its construction partner, with responsibility for progressing the design and construction of the station.

The proposed design refinements, revealed by MDJV, working with their design partners Arcadis and WSP Joint Venture along with Grimshaw Architects, will be submitted for approval to Birmingham City Council in late 2024.

Major earthworks have already started on the construction site, preparing for foundation work to get underway this autumn and building work on the main station structure to start next year.

HS2’s high-speed trains will operate on new infrastructure between London and Birmingham, reducing journey times and freeing up space on the existing mainline for more local and freight services. The railway is expected to be operational between 2029 and 2033.

Jason Millett, Board Member for MDJV, said: “Birmingham’s Curzon Street Station will be the first new intercity terminus built in Britain since the 19th century. With 21st century design principles, the station will improve accessibility and spur the region’s economy forward.

“These refinements will enhance the station further, enable the use of future-proofed materials and will now be shared with the community as we gear up for work on the main station structure.”

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