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Notes to editors

• New Street station and the Pallasades Shopping Centre will remain open throughout the construction work.
• The first section of stainless steel cladding is likely to be installed above Stephenson Street in early 2012. The façade will then be installed in an anti-clockwise direction around the station building, with the west side being clad next, followed by the south and finally the east side opposite the Bullring which will be the last section to be clad in 2015.
• The redevelopment of Birmingham New Street will double passenger capacity, improve access down to the platforms and improve pedestrian links across the city.

The project will deliver:

• a concourse that is three-and-a-half times bigger than at present and enclosed by a giant, light-filled atrium

• more accessible, brighter and clearer platforms, serviced by over 40 new escalators and over 15 new public lifts

• a stunning new station façade

• better links to and through the station for pedestrians, with eight new entrances

• the stimulus for the physical regeneration of the areas surrounding the station

Project timeline:

• April 2010: work to rebuild the station commences
• Spring 2012: work start to construct the John Lewis department store
• Christmas 2012: Phase 1 complete, first half of the new station to passengers while the existing station close for redevelopment
• September 2014: John Lewis department store opens
• 2015: project complete

The Birmingham Gateway project is supported by Network Rail, Birmingham City Council, Centro, Advantage West Midlands and the Department for Transport.

Network Rail is delivering the project alongside its delivery partner, Mace.

Road closure details:

A half road closure remains in place on Stephenson Street as engineers continue preparations to install the first section of stainless steel façade

Starting on Monday 17 October, a partial road closure of Navigation St between the Stephenson St and Pinfold St junctions has been implemented weekly at 0500 on a Monday morning and will be reopened at 0001 on Saturday mornings to allow through traffic and the closure of Pinfold Street over weekends.

Through vehicle traffic will be maintained at all times through this period:

When Pinfold Street is closed at weekends: traffic will be maintained through Navigation Street

When Navigation Street is closed on weekdays, all vehiclular traffic will be diverted around Pinfold Street.

Pedestrian access between the Victoria Square exit of New Street station and the city centre will be maintained at all times.

Pedestrian access will be maintained to shop frontages and businesses on lower Pinfold Street and Navigation St, vehicle and pedestrian diversionary routes will be signposted.