HS2’s Curzon Street repeats railway pioneers’ mistakes
Brian Fox is quite right to show concern that the Birmingham HS2 station is being planned as a terminus ( Open Access, RAIL 861).
After all, it wasn’t successful 180 years ago, when the original London to Birmingham highspeed link terminated at Curzon Street, with trains reversing to continue to Manchester, Liverpool and all points North.
Within eight years, construction had started on a new Grand Central through station (later named New Street) and the Trent Valley cut-off, effectively making Curzon Street redundant and reducing Birmingham to branch status on the London-Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland route.
With no planned direct interchange between the HS2 station and the classic lines (New Street approaches and Moor Street station), I suspect that Curzon Street will soon become as redundant as its predecessor.
Rail passengers are a fickle lot who are not keen on complicated double changes. I predict that HS2 passengers will drive to the eastern Interchange station next to the M42 and M6, thereby creating more road congestion, instead of using Birmingham’s excellent Metro system.
Brian’s suggestion of building an HS2 through station, in tunnel, next to New Street could provide the easy interchange preferred by passengers. And if the platforms were offset to the east, it might even provide a link to the Moor Street suburban system.
Perhaps the Grand Central name might be resurrected to boost Birmingham’s railway status? Through stations usually require fewer platforms than termini, so Curzon Street’s planned seven platforms could be reduced to two or three which could also be available to classic trains. Unused land could be sold off.
Of course, if the idea of another underground labyrinth of a station is unappealing, then the HS2 line could curve into a redeveloped Snow Hill. This station lies on a SE-NW axis, so is already pointing towards Scotland and the North West (both New Street and Curzon Street lie East-West). It is also linked to the suburban rail and tram systems, and convenient taxi and drop-off access could be possible from St Chads Queensway.
Space is available as this station used to boast two through running lines, 400-metre island platforms, and at one time ten platform faces. Replace the ‘car park’ roof with something elegant (in glass, perhaps), rejig the lines to the northwest to allow access to Wolverhampton, Dudley and Walsall (the other great conurbations), and strike the HS2 line towards Rugeley… and Birmingham could have a high-speed rail station to beat all others.
So, come on you movers, shakers and visionaries of the 21st century: have the courage of your 19th century forbears and build something the public will enjoy, use and talk about. St Pancras International has shown the way, but Birmingham should be able to top it.