Birmingham stations project hit by year-long delays

When Volkerfitzpatrick began work on the three new stations in November 2022, completion was expected in November 2023. It has not been put back to the end of 2024 instead.

VolkerFitzpatrick's contract is valued at £34m. Overall scheme costs were put at £61m at start of works.

Much of the structural work to prepare the site for building has now been completed at Kings Heath and Pineapple Road and the platforms are taking shape.

Soon contractors will have full access to Moseley Village site, where structural work will begin ahead of platform construction.

Challenges encountered by Volkerfitzpatrick on the project have included an unstable wall, a historic well and a protected species.

The wall borders a locally listed building at Pineapple Road meaning it needs to be rebuilt brick by brick, while the previously undocumented Victorian well at the Kings Heath site, linked to the historic Highbury Hall, has meant a redesign of that area. Meanwhile, over in Moseley, the protected species discovered can only be moved at certain times of the year.

These challenges – on top of the ongoing supply chain and inflationary concerns and the suspension of construction work for critical engineering work –  mean that although the majority of construction work will be finished early next year, the target opening date has been put back to the end of 2024.

The new stations support the reopening of the Camp Hill line to passenger services for the first time since 1941. The project is being led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) in partnership with Birmingham Council, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway and Department for Transport.

Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said: “After more than 70 years without a train service, people in Kings Heath, Moseley, and Stirchley can see the progress that is being made – the ground has been strengthened, platforms and stations are taking shape, and we have already carried out timetable testing runs on the line.

“It is of course disappointing that it will take a little longer than we previously planned to get the line open, but with our contractors and partners we are working tirelessly to look at options to reduce that timescale and bring the benefits of the Camp Hill line as soon as possible.”

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References

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