Contractor appointed to build three new Birmingham railway stations in £61 million scheme

Transport for West Midlands has appointed construction firm VolkerFitzpatrick to build three railway stations on the Camp Hill line in south Birmingham.

It is part of the £61 million scheme to reintroduce passenger train services to Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell for the first time in 80 years.

Design work is due to start later this spring on the project which will offer the residents of south Birmingham “an environmentally friendly alternative to using the car and experiencing traffic jams on the Alcester Road during their city centre commute,” the transport bodies says.

Work on site is scheduled to begin in November, with the stations expected to be completed later next year after which passenger rail services can start. This will reportedly give commuters from Hazelwell station in Stirchley a 14-minute journey into the city centre by rail compared to a peak time journey by car of up to 45 minutes.

The project is being led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE).

The WMCA is providing £36 million towards the cost, with £20 million from the Department for Transport (DfT) and the remaining £5 million from Birmingham City Council’s clean air zone fund.

Malcolm Holmes, who is both executive director of WMRE and director of rail with TfWM, said: “This is a major milestone towards seeing passenger trains restored on the Camp Hill line, with the contractor in place and construction crews gearing up to get on site.

“This means, that after several years of planning and development, we are now entering the final phase and it will not be too long before these stations are complete and open to the travelling public.”

VolkerFitzpatrick is currently also working on the University Station redevelopment for TfWM.

Mike Evans, operations director for VolkerFitzpatrick, said: “I am delighted that TfWM has chosen to work again with VolkerFitzpatrick, with this project delivering three new stations on the Camp Hill Line. It’s testament to our ability to work well with local communities and stakeholders during the build.

“Our team are excited to be part of these ambitious plans to create an improved transport network, that will support the region’s ambition to be net zero carbon by 2041.”

Other partners in the Camp Hill Line stations include Network Rail and operator West Midlands Railway.