Birmingham Curzon Street railway station

The design for Curzon Street station was developed by the consultancy WSP and Grimshaw Architects for High Speed 2. Initial designs were consulted on in autumn 2018 and evolved ones in January 2020.^[3] The station building is roughly oriented north-east to south-west. The principal train shed consists of an arched roof, intended as the architectural signature of the station, clad in metal panels with a significant projection at both the eastern and western ends of approximately 35 m (115 ft). The railway line will continue eastwards elevated on a viaduct over Park Street and New Canal Street, with retail, trams and public space beneath.^{[citation needed]}

The old Curzon Street station will be incorporated into the eastern entrance of the new station, connected by a masonry colonnade screen between the historic structure and the new HS2 station viaducts and eastern concourse at New Canal Street. The renovated building will have a visitor centre and office space that will be used by HS2 Ltd, Birmingham City University and Historic England.^[12]

The design also improves access to different modes of transport: the West Midlands Metro tram service will run alongside and underneath the station. At the same time, accessible pedestrian routes lead to local bus services, Sprint rapid transit bus services and train services at nearby Moor Street. Bicycle parking has also been incorporated, providing 550 spaces.^[3] The new station is planned to be net zero carbon in operation, and is designed to meet BREEAM Excellent, an industry standard for buildings that reduce energy usage and materials waste, and minimise impact on the natural environment.^{[citation needed]}

At the start of 2019, the site was cleared. As at all HS2 sites, site clearance was followed by an extensive archaeological programme, in this case involving 70 archaeologists, which unearthed what is thought to be the world's oldest railway roundhouse adjacent to the old Curzon Street station. Built to a design by the 19th-century engineer Robert Stephenson, the roundhouse was operational on 12 November 1837; it predates the previous titleholder of the world's oldest in Derby by almost two years.^[13] Other demolitions and ground investigations are preparing the site for construction, and utility diversions are set to begin in summer 2020.^[3]

HS2 opened the tender for the main construction contractor in January 2020 for £571 million. HS2 was forced to halt the original procurement process the previous July due to a "lower-than-anticipated market appetite" from bidders.^[14]

In April 2020, planning permission for the new station, including concourses, roof, viaduct, and platforms, was granted by the city council, the first HS2 station to gain it. The council's report concluded "the station design is truly world class. The elegant and deceptively simple form of the main building clearly reads as a railway station and harks back to traditional station architecture, delivering this in a confident and contemporary way".^[3]

In June 2020, HS2 announced that Laing O’Rourke, a pairing of Mace and Dragados, and a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Ferrovial had been shortlisted for the contract to build the station.^[15] It was confirmed in May 2021 that Mace Dragados had won the contract, in a deal worth up to £570 million. Mace Dragados is working with HS2 Ltd in two stages to finalise the detailed design and then build the station.^[16]

In March 2026, the installation of 2,011 concrete piles between 6 and 24 m (20 and 79 ft) deep was completed at the site.^[17]