Birmingham Curzon Street Station

Birmingham Curzon Street Station | HS2

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6 ай бұрын

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Construction of the new Curzon Street HS2 station in Birmingham officially began on the 24th of January 2024, in this video we take a look at progress so far.
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#HS2 #Birmingham #WestMidlands

Пікірлер: 74

@tomwatts703 6 ай бұрын

All the disappointments about HS2 aside, it's going to be great to see the station when everything's finished. I absolutely agree about improving the walk between New St and Moor St/Curzon St, I changed trains that way a few times while at uni and the underpass really is grim.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

The new station will transform the area, I just hope it gets used to its full potential some day.

@allanralston7014 6 ай бұрын

Agree with your comments that we are where we are, But ARUP's proposal was to replace New street with a new super station at the Curzon street site, this could have been integrated with HS2 alongside it. When completed, people will look at Hs2 and say "why didn't we do it all"! But it's definitely not dead yet to the north. All power to Messrs. Street and Burnham showing Sunak what long term means

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

"Perfect is the enemy of good" tends to spring to mind, I agree there are ways in which HS2 could have been better, but sometimes you have to settle on a plan that is deliverable. If you think the Treasury is currently refusing to provide £4bn for Euston even with over site development, so it seems there would little hope they would provide £2bn or even £3bn for a better integrated Birmingham station.

@cameronallan5624 6 ай бұрын

Long term I don’t think it matters anyway. Whilst Brum has the trams, longer term it needs some sort of underground metro. An underground metro could create a pedestrian tunnel between New Street and Curzon Street with a large single station serving it. Much like the plans for Euston, Kings Cross, St Pancras mega station for Crossrail 2. I am aware this is very ambitious.

@MrGreatplum 6 ай бұрын

I really like the look of the station design - let’s hope it looks like those artist impressions!

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Fingers crossed, if it turns out like the CG renders it'll look great.

@streetrambler134 6 ай бұрын

Great update, not been to the area since they closed New Canal Street last year. They have finished most of the track on the Digbeth main road from the coach station.

@officialmcdeath 6 ай бұрын

Agree it makes sense to spread out in the brownfield site and create a terminal/hub arena extending either side of the Debenhams building, with tram as a distributor for the less mobile - making everything super close to everything else will not allow for future passenger volume \m/

@tomwatts703 6 ай бұрын

I agree that a station beneath New St wouldn't be practical in terms of construction, but I can't help feeling that an above-ground terminus somewhat limits the potential for future expansion into Wales or the southwest; any further HS lines would have to branch off the main HS2 spine leaving Curzon St as a stub end with no through-running.

@JP_TaVeryMuch 6 ай бұрын

What, like Euston for instance‽

@trainworms 6 ай бұрын

I don't think it's a terrible situation but it certainly means that conections to interchange will likely need more consideration.

@TonyAbbeyFETraining 6 ай бұрын

Excellent video. Thanks for this update - that has clarified a lot of things for me. I look forward to more...

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Thanks, glad you found it informative 🙂

@laurencec09 4 ай бұрын

Official start date for the tram extension over Moor St. Queensway is 7th April, but there is already activity visible on the old McDonald's site directly next to the end of the tracks at the bottom of Bull St.

@jermainetrainallen6416 5 ай бұрын

Great video. So glad that main construction works are starting on Curzon Street Station itself. Excited to see what the site will look like at the end of the year. Keep up the good work👍

@Rail_Focus 5 ай бұрын

The site will definitely look a lot different by the end of the year

@m0aze611 6 ай бұрын

Interesting and thought provoking, as someone that uses international rail travel via St Pancreas from Birmingham, the walk from Euston is littered with trip hazards and poor paving. While walking is easier with cases than navigating the tube it is not really fit for purpose. Neither is Paris I hasten to add! It would be a disaster if the link between Curzon and New Street were not made easy as all these extras eat into time savings. Great vid thank you 👍🏻

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

The tram extension will take you from 'door to door' but the walking routes still need work to aid integration

@jagman84 4 ай бұрын

I believe that the junction towards Derby will be built (with the one to Handsacre) but will become a long siding to the Lea Marston/Kingsbury compound. It'll allow it to be used to supply cast concrete sections to the remainder of the project and take lorry journeys off the local roads. Re New Street, There is a massive sewer under the station that was breached during the reconstruction. An HS2 station is nigh on impossible to fit in. Certainly not 7 platforms!

@Rail_Focus 4 ай бұрын

As far as I know the eastern spur will only have passive provision. Haven't heard about any connections to the east.

@lighting7508 6 ай бұрын

i mourn the death of this project. at least we will get some high speed rail...

@tomwatts703 6 ай бұрын

I'm still holding onto the slight hope that an incoming Labour government would see sense and reinstate Phase 2.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Hopefully Labour will get into power and realise not linking Birmingham with the North is a mistake.

@caramelldansen2204 6 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus You'll forgive me if I have my doubts... Starmer and his lot are carrying on the age-old tradition of Red Tories.

@caramelldansen2204 6 ай бұрын

@lighting7508 While "some" might be good, the benefit can only be felt by going all the way with it, and given how powerful the automotive lobby are, it was doomed from the start. That's not even mentioning the class-based North/South inequality. Profit is the acid that erodes all progress.

@lighting7508 6 ай бұрын

@@caramelldansen2204 it should’ve started from the north down 😭

@normhanson981 6 ай бұрын

Birmingham will boom.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Fingers crossed. The station will certainly transform this part of the city.

@JohnSmith-xl8cb 6 ай бұрын

About time, is it a 15 minute walk back to the city 🤔 😂

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

@JohnSmith-xl8cb 6 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus ok 13 minutes then to be exact

@simonirvine1628 6 ай бұрын

"Its looking fantastic"

@soj_89 6 ай бұрын

The West Midlands Metro needs to be rapidly expanded so the even phase1 of hs2 can be used somewhat well. Providing more rapid transit connections to the greater Birmingham area is what will decide whether hs2 phase 1 was worth it. Without rapid transit connections, most people will find hs2 useless, and the existing services serve most people better unless they can quickly get to Curzon Street.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

The Metro and Rail Hub will definitely help.to spread the benefits wider

@fozzzyyy 6 ай бұрын

The tram being delayed by the station is going to lead to the ridiculous situation of the tram works having disrupted digbeth road and foot traffic for years at this point, all for a fully finished track to just be sitting there unconnected for another few years.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Frustrating for sure. I would've thought they could come up with a work around. Not sure if there will be OLE under the station or if they'll use the batteries like past the town hall.

@fozzzyyy 6 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus for your video on the digbeth extension I'd be interested to see if there are any plans for the full tram line out to the airport. The roadworks have definitely left space for (but filled in with dirt) lines going further out, with a distinctive curve where I saw the line going on a plan once.

@Tobberz 6 ай бұрын

Could something be done/have been done to better integrate Moor Street & Curzon Street? Anything from them having been planned as one interconnected station in the first place, or better connections between the two separate concourses?

@fozzzyyy 6 ай бұрын

I'm not sure it would be necessary, I think Moor Street will be right next to one of the entrances to Curzon Street. The layout of Moor Street also means that passengers already have to go up and over some lines to get to the east most platform, so any interior connection would probably do the same. As it is, I imagine passengers will just need to walk about 50m down the road to get to the new station.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

There are plans to integrate the stations better, will hopefully be delivered as part of the Midlands Rail Hub. But the western concourse will be right next door to the Moor St entrance, so transferring from one to the other will be straightforward

@jagman84 4 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus There's a walkway planned for the south end of Moor St to Curzon St. It may be the easiest route for the less mobile.

@AndrewG1989 5 ай бұрын

I know what Birmingham Curzon Street station will look like once it’s completed.

@SirKenchalot 6 ай бұрын

Do you think they'll bild all 7 platforms given that, at present, they'll only need 2 or 3? Maybe turn a couple into an international terminal and built that connection to HS1?

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Yep, it was too late to renegotiate the contracts by the time Sunak cancelled phase 2, so it was cheaper just to build the station as designed rather than cancel the contracts. At least this way it'll be future proofed for services to run North some day.

@DavidKnowles0 6 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus Sadly as I understand he has cut back on infrastructure around Birmingham to allow for that.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Not that I'm aware of, they've recently agreed to fund the Midlands Rail Hub.

@SirKenchalot 6 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus That sounds interesting and perhaps you could produce a video on that int he future.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

I'm hoping to at some stage, just waiting on further information.

@darksars3622 6 ай бұрын

I dont know why they didn't make curzon street a thorough station so trains could go on to place like idk THE NORTH

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Mostly due to the problem discussed in the video. The approach from the East is relatively straightforward, but heading west is a whole other ballgame.

@darksars3622 6 ай бұрын

ok got it@@Rail_Focus

@paulburton9386 6 ай бұрын

I still think the money would have been better spent on putting back needed railway lines and stations that were cut by Beeching or creating new lines and stations. And given this project has been downsized, it's just become an over expensive waste of time! No-one even knows yet if the link will get to Euston!

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

This is creating a new a line and stations as evidenced by the video, detailing work to rebuild a station that existed previously. There's no reason why we can't have HS2 and re-opening of closed lines, apart from the fact the current Tory government really isn't interested in rail, just look at the phase 2 money that was supposedly "diverted" to fill in pot holes.

@johnfrancis4401 6 ай бұрын

Why do we have such poor construction ability - in terms of cost and speed but not quality.

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Successive Governments failing to continue to invest in infrastructure, boom and bust leads to skills and knowledge being lost, with workers travelling overseas or retiring when the work dries up, which will happen with HS2 if we don't build phase 2.

@johnfrancis4401 6 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus I'm surprised the pool of talent is so small. Is it the quantity surveyors, the architects, the engineers or designers that are in short supply or is it the actual workers "at the coal face"?

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Both, tunnelers are in high demand and require a particular skill set, plant operators take time to train, then designers and architects, who haven't dealt with anything like this since HS1 was constructed. But designers and architects in particular will go when the work and the money is, so if the work dries up they can work elsewhere as their skills are in high demand around the world.

@johnfrancis4401 6 ай бұрын

@@Rail_Focus From what I have seen on tv the actual tunnelling machine seems to do all the work. What are these particular skills you're referring to?

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

Each TBM is staffed by around 100 people in 2 shifts. There will be technicians keeping the thing running, workers who install conveyors, pipes and air systems as the TBM progresses, the workers who install the rings (Not many people want to work 12 hour shifts in a confined and dangerous environment) and people controlling the TBM and taking measurements to ensure it's on track. Then there will be people on the surface keeping the thing fed with tunnel segments. Entire factories have had to be built just to keep up with demand for segments, which have to be manufactured to millimetre tolerances.

@user-dy9zj5zc7l 6 ай бұрын

After getting so far at least the whole stretch from London to Birmingham should be finished otherwise what was the point of spending all those billions on a white elephant

@Rail_Focus 6 ай бұрын

🙄