Birmingham Snow Hill to receive new entrance

19th December 2018

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) have unveiled plans for an all new entrance at Birmingham Snow Hill that will enable a seamless transition for passengers between local rail and tram services. TfWM also announced that infrastructure specialist Barhale have been appointed to construct the £1.5 million project.

At present, passengers alighting at the West Midlands Metro stop at St Chads have to walk down a flight of external steps and then along A4440 Queensway, then turning into Livery Street before being able to board a train at Snow Hill. In this project, opening another arch under the Victorian viaduct that carries trains and the West Midland Metro trams will allow passengers to have direct access between the two.

New ticketing facilities will be provided in the new entrance along with signage to help passengers find their way on the new pedestrian route. The new entrance is expected to be in operation in late 2019 and both rail and metro services will be unaffected by the works.

Brenda Lawrence, West Midlands Railway’s head of stations, said:

“The future of public transport is all about making it easier and simpler for passengers to move seamlessly between different modes of travel. The third Snow Hill entrance, connecting the railway station with the Metro, is another important step towards that goal.”

Cllr Roger Lawrence, WMCA portfolio holder for transport, said:

“This new entrance to Snow Hill is one of several exciting projects in our long term rail development programme which aims to transform train travel in the West Midlands over the coming years. Building the eastern entrance is a positive improvement that we can deliver in the short term, with the potential for more ambitious plans for the station being developed as part of the Snow Hill Growth Strategy.”

Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council and WMCA portfolio holder for economic growth, said:

“Improving the links between local rail and tram services will lead to a much better passenger experience, further cementing Snow Hill's importance to our ambitious growth plans for Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. Better connectivity will make this an even more attractive place to work and invest, helping us create more jobs and opportunities for the people of the region."

Paul Edwards, contracts manager at Barhale, said:

The main challenge for construction will be to break through the reinforced concrete wall at the Livery Street end of the station to form the new access. This is in the operational side of the station and so the works will take place outside of station opening hours with dust proof screens erected to keep out debris. This will allow ‘business as usual’ at Snow Hill station during the works.”

Author: Darren Porter
Image: West Midlands Railway/TfWM