Work has started today on the long awaited refurbishment of Longbridge station (Monday 5th November).
With an investment of £1.7 million of funding from Birmingham City Council, Network rail will deliver “a better, more modern station” as part of the £70 million National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP)
Improvements
Existing station rooms will be demolished to create a larger concourse area, with new flooring, new automatic doors, and a new accessible toilet and ticket counter.
To improve the appearance of the station, the frontage will be replaced, along with new glass throughout the building, a new roof and canopy.
The station will remain operational throughout the works, although passengers are advised to plan ahead and allow more time for their journeys until the work is complete in spring 2019.
Park and Ride
A further improvement for local rail travellers came a step closer two weeks ago, as Birmingham City Council gave planning permission to Transport for West Midlands to build a 6 level decked car park providing 630 spaces for a park and ride facility on the existing car park next to the station.
Harpreet Singh Moore, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “This investment, funded by Birmingham City Council, will significantly improve the experience for passengers. Thanks to careful planning with our colleagues at West Midlands Railway there will be minimal disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential upgrade.”
Councillor Waseem Zaffar, cabinet member for Transport and Environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “I am delighted to announce that work on our £1.7 million investment at Longbridge station has begun. This scheme will deliver many benefits for passengers including higher quality and more accessible facilities.
“The new station features will be installed by spring 2019 and in the meantime while there is no disruption to train services, Longbridge station will look a little different so we are grateful to passengers for their patience during these important works.”
Mitzi Latham, West Midlands Railway’s station manager for Longbridge station, said: “There’s been significant development around Longbridge town centre in recent years and we look forward to the investment now being made in the station.
“Longbridge will remain open throughout the work, but we would advise customers to plan ahead and allow more time for their journey over the next few months. When complete, the newly refurbished concourse and entrance area will be more welcoming and will improve the overall experience for all our customers.”
Network Rail is currently investigating options for further investment at the station to improve facilities at platform level.