Pickman's model
sunset spires and twilight woods
say that when they've finished it
So they're rebuilding Birmingham New Street...
- Thread starter laptop
- Start date
purenarcotic
Conveniently Pocket Sized
They're building a John Lewis so that's my middle class sensibilities catered for. 
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
How could it be worse
I know - they could have nuked it and it still wouldn't be worse than the hideous concrete 60s bunker.
editor
hiraethified
Pics!
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
I had a wander in the Palisades shopping centre a couple of weeks back, and not much has changed so far. Bits of building work where they've put a temporary link to the new escalators down into the station (the old ones have been closed), but nothing apart from that. All the building work is screened off, and the bit you can access is the old version of the shopping centre. It looks rather forlorn as some shops have closed and it looks a bit sad. Presumably once they've finished the part they are currently working on, they'll swap over and closed this remaining old bit?
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
It's better than it was but what's there at the moment is still very much temporary, with it's low ceilings etc. The finished thing will be much better:
Yeah, the current temporary main entrance on Stephenson St will eventually be the "back" entrance, with the main entrance being underneath the John Lewis that's being built on Hill St. This will link up with a new pedestrian plaza thingy where the old entrance and taxi ranks were.
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
If it turns out like the pictures it will be a fantastic station, and so very very different to its previous incarnation. All credit to Network Rail for embarking on this project.
blossie33
trailer trash
Sorry, didn't think to take any and I don't know how to post them.
Thanks to Bees for posting your pics
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Well, sort of.
It will be an improvement, no doubt. But the inherent problems with it won't be going away. It has very narrow platforms for a station of it's size, plus once down at platform level light will still be an issue. They say they're building "light wells" into the design (see pic below), which should help with things a bit, but it will still be classed as an underground station.
All looks nice and shiney in the concept pics, but give it 12 months and all that will be covered in diesel fume shite.
The main issue though is still one of capacity. The layout of the tracks is a huge problem. At the east end you have a 4 track line (basically 2 in, 2 out) and at the west end it's essentially has 2 standard double track lines coming in and out. It's a huge bottleneck that very easily gets backed up.
What's needed is a new terminus building on the old Curzon St site to take all the trains from London and the south, freeing up capacity for local/through trains. Link this to the new station with a shuttle service of some sort (tram, maglev, personal jetpacks, whatever) and things would be a hell of a lot better.
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
ie. High Speed 2
Steady on, don't expect miracles
EDIT: It looks like the metro extension to New Street has been approved. Should open before HS2.
purenarcotic
Conveniently Pocket Sized
I thought they were rebuilding the tram network. Though possibly not to the extent you mean bees. It will shuttle between new st and snow hill though.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
I read somewhere though that one of the proposals for HS2 would see a terminus built at Curzon St that would only be HS2 services. Which would be a spectacular way to miss the point if true.
Steady on, don't expect miracles
Any terminus needs a link to New St if built, it's not a readily walkable distance if you had any amount of luggage. Tram would be my first choice seeing as they're extending bits of the Metro already, but failing that a jetpack would do it
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Yep, from Snow Hill via a new link bridge thingy onto Corporation St, then down Stephenson St. Then there's plans to run from there to Broad St and down the Hagley Road.
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
No room for anything bigger AFAICT
EDITEDIT: The metro extension won't go near Curzon St. Well done planners. Well done.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Yep. As I understand how things stand right now HS2 will free up capacity on the line to London but the terminus will take precisely zero traffic away from New St itself. And the HS2 terminus will be a long walk away from New St, so anyone coming from the west/north into New St that wants to then take the fast train to London will have to get a taxi across town.
*slow handclap to all involved*
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
It does seem that they put shopping ahead of the actual transport itself - almost like the station will be attached to the shopping centre as an afterthought, rather than the other way round.
I didn't read the HS2 plans for Birmingham as I just looked at the Manchester ones. I'm surprised they aren't building the station in or near to NS, as that is what they plan for Piccadilly - they plan to simply tack on some extra platforms at the side of the station (if the second phase ever gets built). It'd be a shame if they make an arse of it by siting the station somewhere stupid in Birmingham and deterring people from using it because of interchange problems.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
The problem with New St for HS2 is that it can't be expanded in any way without demolishing a huge chunk of the city centre. So another location is needed. The old terminus site at Curzon St is fine, providing they connect it in a meaningful way to New St. But afaik they aren't going to
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Actually, looking at this proposed site plan from wiki it will be closer to New St than the plan I've seen, making a usable link possuble. However, I can't see how this one would work as it would involve either an awful lot of stuff that's only just been built being demolished, or the whole lot being underground...
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
This is the proposed plan for Manchester Piccadilly - just tacked onto the side of the mainline station which is sensible. The Birmingham one doesn't seem too far away from NS, but as you say, the key is in how they link them together. Looking at it, it looks like it would be roughly a five minute walk to NS to where the platforms are. Might be problematic for people with loads of luggage - maybe a moving walkway in a tunnel?
Or a jet pack, obviously!
Or a jet pack, obviously!
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
Nope, that's accurate.
http://www.thehs2.com/phase1/locations/bcs/bcs.jpg
The station building will be adjacent to Moor St. and will extend over the road for pedestrian access. Look at it on google maps, the site is all car parks and wasteland. The old Curzon St. station building will be nowhere near the station entrance.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
The tracks approach route as shown there runs directly through a huge brand new student residential block. So unless they plan to put it rather high up in the air I'm not sure how that will work.
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
They should build it on massive stilts 200 feet up above the student flats, and build helter skelters for the passengers to reach NS. Much more fun than jet packs any day.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
It will also cut off pretty much the only route out for cars from the top end of Digbeth, which will be fun.
I'm all for HS2 but the way they're trying to crowbar it into what's there at the moment is bloody daft. Build a fucking great hub out at the airport and improve fast links in to the centre. Simples.
I'm all for HS2 but the way they're trying to crowbar it into what's there at the moment is bloody daft. Build a fucking great hub out at the airport and improve fast links in to the centre. Simples.
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
That'd make more sense. Is the link to Birmingham overground or under from the outskirts to the city centre? Here it is overground only for the last mile or so into Piccadilly, and rest is in tunnels underneath the city (probably to avoid loads of NIMBYs playing hell in Didsbury!).
Crispy
The following psytrance is baṉned: All
The route into Birmingham is all at ground level alongside the existing line into New St. In Vauxhall, it then diverges and rises onto viaduct for the run into the station, which is at high level. Canal Street will remain open, passing under the platforms
Loads of detailed drawings here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-revised-line-of-route-maps
Loads of detailed drawings here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-revised-line-of-route-maps
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
If the viaduct is high enough to clear the building I'm thinking of it's gonna be one hell of a thing 
Similar threads
- Poll
