Moor Street key to Birmingham commuter hub overhaul
Mar 26 2009 by Patrice John, Birmingham Post
Centro also plans to work closely with Network Rail on the Camp Hill chord railway lines to create two pieces of track. One will be to the south on the Cross City South line connecting Moor Street with Kings Norton and other services in south Birmingham. The other would be to the east on the Tamworth and Nuneaton Lines towards Tamworth and Water Orton, which would allow services to be run from Fort Dunlop.
Mr Sargant believes this kind of work will build capacity into the rail network in Birmingham.
At present he estimates there are about eight trains each hour leaving Moor Street in each direction.
This could be increased to 12 trains an hour in each direction when the four platforms are operating at capacity.
But increasing pedestrian connections between New Street and Moor Street stations is key.
Mr Sargant said doing this would put Birmingham ahead of other UK cities.
The single hub station concept - or ‘Birmingham Central Station’ idea - would make Birmingham rival cities like London and Manchester.
He said: “We are looking at ways of upgrading and improving the links between Moor Street and New Street stations. We really want the two places to be run as a single station, with information on arrivals and departures to be at both.
“It would almost be like a Birmingham Central Station but the way to do this is with the links.”
Mr Sargant said present pedestrian links via the Bullring were not sufficient as they were poorly signposted and poorly lit.
By providing greater links between the two, passengers could be seemlessly moved from one station to the other, thus easing congestion at New Street.
“Pedestrian access is key,” he said. “At present the tunnel near the Bullring is poorly lit and signposted and we want to do something about that.
“We have just commissioned a study to look at longer-term options, and we are considering creating an underground subway between the stations, so passengers no longer have to cross the road.
“If we could create this concept of a single-hub station then Birmingham could serve local, regional and national rail services from ‘one’ place.
“It would allow us to have all the trains going in and out of the same place and this increases the connectivity of the city.
“We would be better than Manchester or London as moving between major stations in those cities can be a bit of a trek. Creating a single station could only be of benefit to Birmingham and the region.”
He said Centro was investigating possible locations for the high speed rail network that will run throughout the country and a report would be released in the summer.
