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Friday 12 Jul 2019

Passengers benefit from major transformation of Longbridge station

Region & Route:

North West & Central

A major refurbishment of Longbridge station is providing a better railway for passengers in Birmingham.

The outside of the station has been totally transformed with a new entrance, glazed roof and cladding, while inside a new larger concourse, ticket office and accessible toilet have been built.

The £1.7 million-pound project, part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan, was delivered by Network Rail and funded by Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Harpreet Singh-Moore, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “This major overhaul of Longbridge station is a huge improvement for the tens of thousands of West Midlands Trains passengers who use the station each week.

“As part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, the new facilities create a bright and modern transport hub for an area which is being regenerated by new business, leisure and housing developments.”

Francis Thomas, head of corporate affairs for West Midlands Railway, said: “It is great to see new investment in Longbridge station. Travelling by rail in the West Midlands has never been more popular. This redevelopment has significantly improved the experience for our passengers. The concourse area is now much brighter and spacious and also more accessible, thanks to the installation of adjustable ticket office counters and a new accessible toilet.

“Passengers using the Cross City Line will see more improvements over the coming years as we invest £1bn into upgrading our services across our network. This will include new trains for Longbridge commuters, with more capacity on this popular route.”

Richard Burden, MP for Birmingham Northfield, said: “Along with other local stakeholders I have been pressing for years for the transformation of this station both to provide today’s Longbridge town centre with the welcoming gateway it deserves and to create a modern public transport hub serving local residents, businesses and Bournville College.  These improvements are an important step towards achieving those objectives.”

The old station rooms were demolished to create a larger concourse area complete with new flooring, new automatic doors, and a new accessible toilet and ticket counter.

The appearance of the station has been improved with a new front, replacement glass throughout the building, a new roof and canopy.

The investment came from the £70 million National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP) which is helping to transform railway stations across the country.