Premier Rail

Bromsgrove Station

Bromsgrove
Written by Roma Publications

Major new rail boost for Bromsgrove

Bromsgrove

A brand new £17.4million railway interchange bringing increased rail services and vastly improved facilities designed to meet all the latest requirements for rail passengers, is nearing completion at Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, replacing the old station.

Located 500 yards south of the original station, the new station will include: a staffed station building with toilets, ticket desk and retail facility and four longer platforms connected by a covered footbridge and lifts designed to be fully accessible for all (the longer platforms will be able to accommodate six-carriage trains, as well as provide capacity for an extra 300,000 passengers a year).

The development will also include a new car park with approximately 350 spaces designed to current standards in terms of security, lighting, ticketing, customer facilities and information.

In addition, the scheme will provide undercover secure cycle storage, motor cycle parking, electric car parking and charging points and direct bus access. A concourse will link to the new bus stops, taxi rank, pedestrian footpaths, cycle store and car parking areas.

There will also be a covered bridge link to platforms from the concourse with stairs and lifts to all platforms.

In addition to the station construction, the works include: moving the tracks to make room for the new platforms; the installation of new signalling and telecommunications equipment; the construction of new retaining walls and the laying of new track.

Further works include alterations to New Road to remove parking from one side of the road to improve bus access to the new station; the provision of a new access road to the station directly from Stoke Road and the provision of a taxi rank and drop off / pick up point.

The project is being jointly funded by Worcestershire County Council and Centro, in partnership with the Department for Transport, Network Rail and London Midland.

Main contractors for the scheme are Buckingham Group.

Bromsgrove station first opened as part of the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway (later part of the Midland Railway) in 1840. In June 1969 the station was rebuilt with a single platform on the up (northbound) side, which required stopping down (southbound) trains to cross to the up line and back again after calling at Bromsgrove station. A new platform on the down side was opened in May 1990.

The previous unmanned station had more than half-a-million people pass through every year, but passenger numbers are expected to rise to around 800,000 by 2029.

The new interchange was needed because Bromsgrove, a key town in the West Midlands ‘travel to work’ area, has 400,000 people travelling to Birmingham by rail each year. The original rail station was inadequate and no longer offered the facilities that rail passengers expect, did not provide facilities for disabled users and did not meet current standards in terms of security or lighting.

In addition, the location of the original station would not allow the extension of the existing three carriage platforms which was a significant barrier to increasing capacity on the line. The existing station design would also not accommodate the needs of the proposed electrification of the railway line.

By closing the existing station and building a new station further south, Network Rail can electrify the line from Barnt Green to Bromsgrove. This is due to be completed by summer 2017 and will allow more frequent trains between Bromsgrove and Birmingham.

Furthermore, the new improved facilities and better integration with local bus services will make it more attractive for people to use the train to travel between Bromsgrove and Birmingham, reducing congestion, carbon emissions and making it easier to access the town. This will make the local area more attractive for businesses and will encourage job creation in the Bromsgrove area.

Structural Fabrications Ltd

In operation for 23 years, Structural Fabrications Ltd provides architectural and structural metalwork services for railway projects across the UK. The dedicated team ensure a high quality and timely service throughout.

Previous projects carried out by Structural Fabrications Ltd include a refurbishment at Northampton Platform Station; works at Dunblane Station in Scotland; and the Oxford Cambridge East to West link project at Bicester and Islip. At present, Structural Fabrications Ltd is involved with the Bromsgrove Station project.

Speaking to Rail Construction News about the project, Dave Wilson, Commercial Manager at Structural Fabrications Ltd, said:

“With the exception of the civils and the fit-out works, we have been involved with this project from the ground up, supplying and installing the structural steel work for the new station building, as well as the installation of the roof.

“We have also worked on the access points over the lines. This includes the stairs, the steel work for the lift shafts and the passenger bridges that connect to each platform. The work has progressed very well and we’re aiming to complete all work on time.”

Structural Fabrications Ltd became involved with the Bromsgrove Station project thanks to their long-standing working relationship with the Buckingham Group – a relationship Structural Fabrications Ltd truly values.

Dave said:

“It means a great deal. We’ve developed this working relationship with the Buckingham Group over the past four years, beginning with a project in Northampton. It has been a steady progression from there. Working with the same main contractor is good as we have a clear understanding of how they operate and what their expectations are.”

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