Huge transport hub wins backing
PLANS for a major transport hub next to Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre have taken a significant step forward after council chiefs agreed a £286 million business case.
It details the opportunity to create a multi-modal hub at Birmingham International station in Solihull, bringing together future high speed and existing rail services, air, trams, buses, private vehicles, taxis and bicycles through connections to the airport and the new HS2 Interchange Station by 2025.
It follows a £1.3 million, 18-month feasibility study led by the Urban Growth Company, a special-delivery vehicle set up by Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in 2016 to deliver infrastructure and development across ‘ The Hub’, a regeneration site near junction six of the M42 motorway.
The business case will now be submitted to the combined authority and the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership in order to secure funding to progress the project to design stage and delivery.
The Urban Growth Company will continue working with regional and central government to secure funding from a range of national and local sources to deliver the project by December 2025.
Nick Brown, chairman of the Urban Growth Company, said: “Since Birmingham International station opened in the 1970s, passenger numbers have exceeded all expectations.
“We now have a scenario where there simply isn’t enough capacity and the experience could be better.
“With the HS2 Interchange on its way, major growth at Birmingham Airport and the NEC, and nearby Jaguar Land Rover going from strength to strength, passenger numbers at Birmingham International are forecast to triple over the next 20 years.
“It has the potential to be one of the busiest stations in the UK but, without this transformation, it will be a major barrier to sustainable economic growth here in Solihull and that will impact on the wider West Midlands.”
Cllr Ian Courts, deputy leader of Solihull Council, added: “This project is critical as it will create passenger so much an iconic gateway to the West Midlands with sustainable, resilient transport connections.
“It will also accelerate the delivery of development in this area, helping attract new businesses, creating 2,500 new jobs and generating £145 million GVA, putting Solihull at the heart of this region’s economic renaissance.”
The study was financed 50 per cent by the European Union with the other half funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, Birmingham Airport and NEC Group.
Other partners included Transport for West Midlands, Network Rail, HS2, Birmingham City Council and Virgin Trains.