Media centre

Monday 12 Oct 2009

HAVE YOUR SAY ON BIRMINGHAM GATEWAY

Region & Route:

The partners behind the Birmingham Gateway project are inviting people to have their say on plans to transform New Street station into a landmark, 21^st century transport hub and to join them at New Street for a public exhibition.

Extensive consultation has helped refine the design since Network Rail, Birmingham City Council, Advantage West Midlands and Centro first joined forces to find the best solution for New Street. Now the public has the opportunity to find out more about the scheme and to provide their comments – online, by post or in person.

People can express their views between Monday 12th and Friday 23rd October using an online questionnaire. Alternatively they can ask their questions in person from Thursday 15^th to Saturday 17^th October at a public exhibition inside New Street station where Network Rail will showcase the plans and find out what people think.

For those with no time to talk, postage-paid questionnaires will be available at the exhibition to allow people to send back their written comments.

Preparatory work on the Gateway project started in September 2009 to prepare a site next to the station for the creation of a new concourse. The new concourse is expected to open to the public in 2012 when the old concourse will then be redeveloped, delivering a world-class station upon completion in 2015.

Jo Kaye, Network Rail's route director, said: "We want as many of New Street’s 140,000 daily passengers as possible to find out more about this exciting project. Either online, by post or in person, you can have your say on our plans to give passengers and the city of Birmingham a bigger, brighter and better station.”

Councillor Mike Whitby, leader of Birmingham City Council, added: "We want to give people the opportunity to find out more about the transformation of New Street into a station which befits a global destination, and is the envy of the world. The Gateway project is central to the masterplan for Birmingham and we hope to excite people about the possibilities New Street presents for our city and the region."

Mick Laverty, chief executive of Advantage West Midlands, said:

“New Street Gateway is a flagship project which will have a massive economic impact on Birmingham and the region in years to come. People now have the opportunity to see why AWM is making its biggest ever single investment - £100 million – to help transform this part of the city.”

Gary Clarke, chairman of Centro, the region’s transport authority, said: “We’ve been working hard to make sure passengers get the world class station they deserve and believe these exciting plans can deliver that vision. But it’s what the passenger thinks that’s important and we want the public to take this opportunity to give us their views.”

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne concluded: “The Government strongly supports this scheme and I’m pleased to announce today we will be committing £160 million towards a project which will transform this station for passengers.

“Once completed, a modern Birmingham New Street station will offer a better transport interchange for the 140,000 passengers who use it every day and the wider Birmingham Gateway project will deliver a massive economic, employment and regeneration boost to the area.”