- Monday, June 05, 2023
By: Sattwik Biswal
A £30 million redevelopment plan has been made to construct a new Perry Barr railway station station over the next 12 months and make it ready in time to welcome visitors for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The outdated structure along with attached row of shops have been pulled down to make way for a new purpose-built standalone station, with increased capacity, offering a vastly improved environment and facilities for passengers including lift access to the platforms, improved ticket office, accessible toilets, CCTV security cameras and cycle parking.
Moreover, with more than 40 people are employed for this work, making more jobs and businesses being supported through the construction supply chain.
Andy Street, the mayor of West Midlands, said: “This redevelopment of the eyesore Perry Barr station is long overdue, and I am delighted that just days since being re-elected as mayor we’ve been able to get on with the work and tear the old station down. It was a hideous building with poor access for wheelchair and pushchairs, and almost certainly put people off using public transport.
“The new, modern, Perry Barr station will have more space, public toilets, better travel information, and CCTV, to create a far better experience for passengers. Given the station will be a gateway to the Commonwealth Games next year, it is absolutely vital we get this much-needed work done.
“The development is also taking shape just at the right time as we look to bounce back quickly from the pandemic – with jobs being created both on site and in the supply chain. Infrastructure projects such as this are going to be critical to my plans to create 100,000 jobs and employment opportunities in just two years.”
The development, being led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE), is taking place alongside the wider regeneration of Perry Barr which includes a new road layout and thousands of new homes.
In addition, it will also cover the redevelopment of the bus interchange outside the One Stop Shopping centre.
