Monday 15 Mar 2010
NEW LOOK NEW STREET COMES TO LIFE
- Region & Route:
The exciting future of New Street station became clear after a full-scale section of the station exterior was unveiled today.
Network Rail built the 200m2 section of mirror-polished stainless steel so that it could select the best materials and construction techniques for the redevelopment and learn how Foreign Office Architects’ concept design for New Street would be brought to life.
The Gateway project will turn New Street into the world-class station that passengers deserve with more light and space, additional entrances and easier access to platforms.
Andrew Skidmore, scheme sponsor at Network Rail, said: "Coming face to face with the stunning design for New Street you can’t help but be excited by what the Gateway project will deliver. It is at the heart of our plans to restore pride in Britain’s stations and by 2015, passengers will have the station they deserve and Birmingham will have another landmark building to be proud of.”
Leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr Mike Whitby, added: “The proposed design for the station will create a truly iconic building for Birmingham. This section of the exterior gives an early indication of just how stunning Gateway will be when completed. In terms of both promoting passenger experience and aesthetic appearance Gateway will break new ground and enhance Birmingham’s reputation as a globally significant city and set a standard for others to follow.”
Mick Laverty, Chief Executive at Advantage West Midlands, said: “Today we have a glimpse into the bright, high-tech 21st century future of rail travel and the creation of an iconic city landmark that will boost the business, inward investment and tourism opportunities of tomorrow. It is a welcome confidence boost for a region hardest hit by the recession.”
The Gateway project is backed by Network Rail, Birmingham City Council, Advantage West Midlands, Centro and the Department for Transport. It will be delivered by Network Rail.
Geoff Inskip, chief executive of transport authority Centro said: “Today has given us the opportunity to see the dramatic visual impact the redevelopment of New Street Station will have. This façade really brings the exciting designs to life.
“This project will provide a stunning gateway to the region and, especially when teamed with other key transport projects like the extension of Metro and High Speed Rail, will truly give Birmingham the modern vibrant image and world class public transport system it deserves.”
Notes to editors
1. The Gateway project will see 1960s-built New Street station transformed into a bright, modern, 21st century focal point for Birmingham. It will double passenger capacity and deliver:
- a concourse that is three-and-a-half times bigger than at present, enclosed by a giant, light-filled atrium
- more accessible, brighter and clearer platforms, reached by new escalators and new public lifts
- a stunning new station exterior, adding to Birmingham's growing reputation for good design
- better links to and through the station for pedestrians, with eight entrances
- a major stimulus for the physical regeneration of the areas surrounding the station
2. The mock-up comprises 54 individual panels of 2mm-thick stainless steel mounted four metres from the ground. It was built at Network Rail’s logistics site at Bordesley, which will also be used to transport material to and from the station by rail rather than road.
3. The impact on passengers will be kept to a minimum as most of the work will take place off-site. All train services will continue to operate and the Pallasades shopping centre remain open throughout the project. Phase 1 will see a new concourse built in a former car park next to the station. This concourse is expected to open in 2012. Phase 2 will then see the existing concourse closed for redevelopment prior to completion in 2015.
4. New Street in numbers:
- 40m - people who use New Street every year
- 140,000 - passengers using the station every day
- 60,000 - the amount of passengers per day New Street was designed to cater for when it was rebuilt in 1967
- £2.3bn - the economic benefits of New Street station redevelopment
£350m - the amount Network Rail is investing in renewing the signalling systems through New Street and the West Midlands over the next ten years
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
0330 854 0100
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk