Station transformation plans get £12m boost

Plans to transform a major railway station in Birmingham have received a £12m funding boost by the government.Birmingham University station is set to get a new building along with other improvements to the site which was built to accommodate 400,000 passengers per year.Permission for the £56m scheme in Vincent Drive, Edgbaston, was granted by Birmingham City Council in June.Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is leading a consortium including the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, West Midlands Trains and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP to fund the project to redevelop and expand the station and provide additional passenger capacity in time for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.The project will also deliver more lifts, a ticket office, shop and public toilets.The contracts for the detailed design and build of the scheme will be awarded later this summer, with works starting in the autumn.