Road to close for HS2 preparation

The section of Park Street between the junctions of Masshouse Lane and Bordesley Street will be closed permanently, and those travelling through the area are asked to plan ahead.

The street falls on the site of the new planned station which is intended to link Birmingham to London as part of a phased network across the country, scheduled to open from 2029 to 2033.

Three planning applications for the station and its surrounding landscaping were approved in April by Birmingham City Council’s planning committee.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has said engineers Laing O’Rourke and J Murphy (LM) will being work on July 5 on behalf of HS2 to prepare the area for the construction of the new station.

The advice from TfWM is to check before travelling for updates on traffic and public transport changes using the West Midlands Network website.

It says “if you are travelling a short distance, consider whether you can walk or cycle to your destination”.

It states diversions will be in place meaning travellers will still be able to get where they need to go.

More phased work is set to begin over the coming months on roads including Priory Queensway, Fazeley Street and Moor Street Queensway.

TfWM has also said the city council is due to restrict a section of Moor Street Queensway between Moor Street Station and Carrs Lane to all traffic expect buses, cyclists and hackney taxis later this year.

The transport body states “access for loading and unloading to Moor Street Station and other premises in the area will still be possible, although via different routes in some cases”.

Anne Shaw, director of network resilience at TfWM: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to continue to travel in and around Park Street whilst works are undertaken to prepare for the construction of Curzon Street station and the HS2 railway.

"We are committed to keeping people moving and it will be important to plan ahead and leave more time for your journey.”

Simon Russell, LM’s Project Director, said: “The new Curzon Street station will have a hugely beneficial impact on Birmingham and the West Midlands.

“Partial closure of Park St from July 5 will allow us to make the necessary diversions to street utilities, and prepare the area for full construction to start.

“We’ve made significant progress on the site of the new station, with a massive archaeology programme unearthing a rich tapestry of history from the area, including the world’s oldest roundhouse.

“The story’s next chapter will be to ensure that the new station can be built safely and without disrupting existing street services – that work starts now.”

An HS2 recruitment drive is reportedly creating 300 jobs in Birmingham.

The project is intended to increase rail capacity and connectivity nationally – providing an alternative to car, plane travel and road building – while demand for transport grows.

HS2 Ltd, the company responsible for delivering the project, has said it is “integral to rail projects in the North and Midlands – helping rebalance the UK economy”.

HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson said in April the cost of the phases of HS2 would be £72 billion to £98 billion while the whole life cost would be £108 billion.

Detractors have raised concerns about the environmental impact, with an increase in national CO2 emissions predicted in the short to medium term of the scheme.

This may not be offset by CO2 savings over the first 60 years of operation, according to estimates in a Government review of HS2 earlier this year.

The Court of Appeal will hear broadcaster Chris Packham’s appeal regarding an application for permission for judicial review of the Prime Minister’s decision to proceed with HS2 on July 8.

Campaign group Extinction Rebellion recently staged a 125-mile walk from Birmingham to London along the proposed HS2 route to protest the plans, including in relation to the impact on wildlife.

Responding to the beginning of preparation work for the Curzon Street station, Verel Rodrigues of Extinction Rebellion Birmingham said: “HS2 will not provide the kind of green public transport Birmingham needs.

“We’re in a climate and ecological emergency. Just imagine how we could use the £100 billion HS2 price tag to fund public transport that the people of Birmingham could use to travel around our congested city.”