HomeRail NewsVideo: Birmingham New Street redevelopment

Video: Birmingham New Street redevelopment

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The redeveloped station at Birmingham New Street will be unveiled on 20th September, a notable landmark in a challenging construction programme that got underway five years ago.

It’s a long way from the concrete monolith opened by British Rail in March 1967 when electric services to the capital were introduced on the West Coast Main Line. The new New Street has a concourse five times bigger than the one BR provided. It’s bathed in light from a vast atrium roof, formed of a 200-tonne steel frame covered in ETFE, a self-cleaning plastic. 15 lifts and 36 escalators ease passenger flows to the 12 decluttered platforms and retail areas.

With less than a fortnight to go before the hoardings come down, an army of 3,000+ workers are fitting out the retail units and installing station furniture. There’s a heady mix of tension and anticipation.

Graeme Bickerdike
Graeme Bickerdikehttp://therailengineer.com
SPECIALIST AREAS Tunnels and bridges, historic structures and construction techniques, railway safety Graeme Bickerdike's association with the railway industry goes back to the mid-nineties when he was contracted to produce safety awareness videos and printed materials aimed at the on-track community. This led to him heading a stream of work to improve the way safety rules are communicated and understood - ultimately simplifying them - for which he received the IRSE’s Wing Award for Safety in 2007. In 2005, Graeme launched a website to catalogue and celebrate some of the more notable disused railway structures which still grace Britain’s landscape. Several hundred have since had their history researched and a photographic record captured. A particular focus has been the construction methods adopted by Victorian engineers and contractors; as a result, the site has become a useful resource for those with asset management responsibilities. Graeme has been writing for Rail Engineer for the past ten years, generally looking at civil engineering projects and associated issues. He has a deep appreciation of the difficulties involved in building tunnels and viaducts through the 19th Century, a trait which is often reflected in his stories.

5 COMMENTS

  1. I went to New St Station last year and found it the most confusing, awkward station to move around in. Could not find platform, or anywhere I needed. It needs “meet and Greet” people to assist you to where you need to go

    • I’ve used New Street a lot to change trains, I found it somewhat better during the rebuild but it seems ridiculous now. Heaven knows what it must be like for those travelling for the first time,

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