The revamped University Station in Birmingham is now fully open following a complex three-year construction process where the existing station remained operational throughout.
Constructed by VolkerFitzpatrick on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), the station opened on Sunday (28 January) with passengers able to enter the station via the two new buildings
University Station is one of the region’s busiest stations with up to 3.5 million passengers a year who previously passed through a tiny station opened in 1978 to accommodate just 700,000 journeys per year. The existing building is being retained as an exit only.
The new station has been designed to accommodate up to 7.2 million passengers annually and includes two building pavilions, one of which is based on the island between the rail line and Birmingham and Worcester canal, for which materials had to be craned over.
It also features new wider entrances, stairways and exits serving the neighbouring University of Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, more open space, lifts to the platforms, a larger ticket office and better customer facilities.
The main pavilion building also includes space for a café or convenience shop and an NHS facility on the first floor.
Appointed by the WMCA to undertake the detailed design and build of the new station. VolkerFitzpatrick installed new bridges over both the live railway line and the canal.
The new buildings were assembled from a 480-tonne flat pack structure, with parts produced off-site and assembled on location.
VolkerFitzpatrick managing director James Hindes said: ‘We are proud to have played our part in the new station delivery at University Station Birmingham, all of which has taken place whilst maintaining a live operational station.
'Our team has worked in collaboration with our partners and key stakeholders since the outset of the project. The station has been completely transformed and now provides a modern, future-proofed solution to the ever-increasing demands in this area, and will leave a lasting legacy for Birmingham.’
TfWM and the West Midlands Rail Executive led the development in collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the NHS University Hospitals Birmingham Trust, Birmingham City Council, the Department for Transport, Network Rail, West Midlands Trains and Cross Country Trains.
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