We think that Birmingham should support the idea of a high-speed rail network to the city centre.
Birmingham should actively promote the development of the high-speed rail network to the city centre.
Birmingham city centre has oustanding national rail links, mainly because of New Street Station, but Moor Street and Snow Hill stations are also important. New Street Station is the main route to Birmingham International Airport and so the way most overseas travelers enter the city. However it is not a good experience. On top of that New Street is just to busy, a problem which will only get worse.
We have now set aside money for the redevelopment of New Street and protected land for four tracks between New Street and Birmingham International over much of the route. We are also investigate how we could get European High Speed trains to both Birmingham and the Airport.
Birmingham city centre has outstanding connectivity to a wide range of national destinations by rail, with New Street Station the focus of an extensive network of services and Moor Street and Snow Hill stations having a secondary but nonetheless important role. New Street Station is also the main route to Birmingham International Airport and thus the primary global entrance point into the city centre. However, the arrival experience is poor. Current capacity difficulties at New Street Station have been exacerbated by significant growth in passenger trips in Birmingham. The comprehensive redevelopment of New Street now has committed funding. Space to allow for four tracks between New Street and Birmingham International stations is protected over much of the route, and the opportunity for running European High Speed Train services to both the City Centre and the Airport is under investigation.
If there is a chance of European High Speed Trains to Birmingham we should grab that with both hands. The Big City Plan should look much more closely at which tracks and stations would best serve this line. If this means making sure land is available in the right parts of the city we need to plan for this.
The opportunity for European High Speed Trains to serve Birmingham should be firmly grasped. The Big City Plan should help influence the ultimate choice of route and station location for a future HST connection to the city centre, providing the opportunity for strengthened national and international rail connections in the future. Further work is required to understand what alignment the track would take, and requisite processes for safeguarding land requirements.