HS2 reveals enhanced design for Birmingham Curzon Street station

HS2 has revealed enhanced designs featuring a series of improvements for Birmingham Curzon Street Station.

Under the plans, the station will be include: 

• Additional cycle parking
• Better accessibility
• More seating spaces
• Simplified access between platforms
• Changes to the construction materials to boost efficiency and minimise maintenance. 

Consent for the station was secured in 2020 from Birmingham City Council, after which HS2 appointed Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV) as its construction partner, with responsibility for progressing the detailed design and construction of the station.

MDJV is working with design partners Arcadis and WSP Joint Venture along with Grimshaw architects.

The new proposed design refinements will be submitted for approval to Birmingham City Council in late 2024.

The building’s design is inspired by the arched roofs built by the Victorian railway pioneers, taking that inspiration into the 21st Century, to ensure accessibility with a focus on the open space and landscaping around it.

Passenger experience have also factored into the new design, including: 

• rainfall capture in planted areas
• better accessibility at pedestrian entrances; 
• durable external ceramic tiling;
• A more unified internal layout of the eastern concourse to allow passengers to change platforms without leaving the ticketed area

Further development of the materials being used will also improve construction efficiency, future-proof the station and minimise maintenance requirements.

The material of the station’s roof has changed from timber to aluminium for better fire safety and more cost effective to maintain

Improvements to the station’s arrival areas include a redesign of the southern entrance of the Eastern Concourse to make it more prominent.

The façades have been simplified with washable and graffiti-proof coloured ceramic tiling replacing the original concrete cladding. 

an accessible ramp route will also be included, as well as steps.

Major earthworks have already started on the construction site, preparing for foundation work to get underway this Autumn.

Work on the station façade is due to begin in Summer 2025, with construction of concourse steelwork and the roof due to start in Autumn 2025.  

Dave Lock, HS2’s project client director for Curzon Street Station, said: “We’re pleased that these design refinements mark a key step in enhancing the detailed features of Curzon Street Station, which will be an iconic gateway to Birmingham for future HS2 passengers.

“Once built, the station will strengthen Birmingham’s transport connections, support the regeneration of Eastside and Digbeth, and play a vital role in the long-term economic future of the West Midlands.”

Jason Millett, board member for Mace Dragados joint venture said: “Birmingham’s Curzon Street Station will be the first new intercity terminus built in Britain since the 19th century. With 21st century design principles, the station will improve accessibility and spur the region’s economy forward.

“These refinements will enhance the station further, enable the use of future-proofed materials and will now be shared with the community as we gear up for work on the main station structure.”

 Neven Sidor, Grimshaw Partnerr and architectural design lead, said: “Any design for a major and complex public building needs to negotiate a journey from preliminary concept in the minds of a team of engineers and architects to a much more detailed set of technical drawings embraced by the teams of contractors that will build it.

“We are therefore pleased to announce that the original design vision has not only been maintained but has also been enhanced through the detailed design process. It is more robust, more efficient to build, and just as elegant.”

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