Three Facts About Birmingham's New HS2 Station (And Its 100K SF Office Scheme) You Probably Missed

Plans to transform Birmingham International Station into a world-leading, multimodal transport facility ahead of HS2’s arrival, have taken another step forward. But amidst the glossy images and fanfares, three facts may have been missed.

The Signal Says Go But …

The 163K SF station building has been approved under a rail industry procedure called Grip 3 Option Selection. This will mean nothing to anyone outside the rail business, but it matters. Grip stands for Guide to Rail Investment Products, and the Grip levels get as far as Grip 8. Getting to Grip 3 means the project’s business case is sound, everybody involved agrees this is the way forward, and alternative approaches have been junked. But there are still plenty of hurdles not least of which are Grip 4, which is turning the concept into something workable; Grip 5, which is a detailed and deliverable design; and Grip 6, which is constructing and testing. The conclusion has to be that whilst the signal says go, there could still be obstructions on the line.

There Is A Very Important Roundabout

The station is going to be great. For the first time the station on the West Coast Mainline will bring existing rail together with future high-speed rail, trams, buses, rapid transit, private vehicles, taxis, bicycles and an automated people mover, with seamless connections to Birmingham Airport, the NEC, HS2 Interchange Station and Birmingham Business Park.

But progress depends on a roundabout. As part of the deal, Solihull’s Urban Growth Company has agreed a construction procurement framework with HS2 Ltd, and part of that is securing £20M of regional funding. This funding will ensure a key roundabout next to the site can be redesigned to support future growth, not just from HS2 but from the trams, the NEC, the airport and the business park.

There will also be work on moving and improving the automated people mover connecting Arden Cross to the rest of the hub, and some moves to resolve local traffic pinch points.

There Will Be Office Floorspace

Yes, it’s a station. And yes the main point of a station is to get people to move through it, rather than to linger. Even so the vision for the station site will allow additional commercial opportunities immediately next door, including 100K SF of new Grade A office floorspace and, if anyone wants it, an 800-space multi-storey car park. Around 450,000 people will be within a 45-minute train, tram or bus journey of the station.

Procurement of a design and build contractor for the station rebuild is underway with an appointment expected in February 2021. Construction work is programmed to start after the 2022 Commonwealth Games and will be completed by 2026 and ahead of HS2’s arrival.

Contact David Thame at david.thame@bisnow.com.