New Street : New Start

[JamieLei]

New Street : New Start



Wow.

The New Street Gateway has been talked about for years now, but my God, that is one absolutely stunning station. Do go to the media info, downloads, and then watch the"vox-pops" video - it will make your eyes water.

It will be finished (hopefully) in 6 years time, and work on it will begin next year. The station is expected to handle 52 million people per year, up from the 35 million today. However, if there's few capacity improvements apart from improved signalling, the extra capacity would have to come from longer trains.

Birmingham has awaited so long for something like this, and at last we'll a station that we can finally be proud of.

Passengers and the people of Birmingham and the West Midlands were shown visionary new designs for New Street station today.

The striking concept designs, clad in shimmering, reflective metal, will create a bold, modern gateway to the city for the millions of people using the station
each year.

The iconic design is the work of the renowned Foreign Office Architects. They beat dozens of rivals, including many of the world’s top practices, to win an international competition and land the prestigious project.

Speaking at the launch event, Cllr Mike Whitby, chairman of the New Street Gateway Funders’ Board, said: “The Birmingham Gateway, which will support over 52m passengers a year, demands a world class architectural vision to embody the rebirth of New Street station.

“With the world looking on, this breathtaking design firmly places Birmingham on the international map for very high quality, daring design.

“Alejandro Zaera-Polo’s bold architecture symbolises Birmingham’s arrival over the last few years as a globally relevant city looking to its future, as a connected international hub, to the advantage of citizen and investor alike.

“I would like to thank Foreign Office Architects and the selection panel for their hard work. The Gateway project will enrich the continuing regeneration of Birmingham, and enhance our reputation as a truly world class city.”

[Beardie]

Really nice image, that looks amazing, but i still have to say that Birmingham new Street is the Coldest/Windiest station in the country.

I do think its a bit dull on the platform, this will give the station a good look to it "on the surface", very impressive.

[Dave]

And where is the Palisades going!?

[JamieLei]

Hopefully, it'll be demolished! It's a bit of an outdated dump anyway, and "The Mall" group only just managed to offload it off their hands a year or two ago, and for far less than they bought it for. It only clings for life by being a throughfare to New Street station. The bullring effectively killed it

[Dave]

Oh god; The Mall group sold it?

Wasn't aware of that.

Days are DEFINITELY numbered now.

[JamieLei]

But nonetheless, all the plans I've seen for the new New Street include provisions for the Pallisades. I'd imagine this is because to demolish it would require the closure of New Street, something which is completely out of the question.

So it's a case of salvaging what's there. The entrance up the ramp from New Street is vital, but the projects make the Station Street entrance look A LOT more important. Or are they combining the two into one which seems to be the consensus from the video?..

[Ploes]

CPOs have been issued apparently!

RNS Number : 3031Z
Warner Estate Holdings PLC
17 July 2008


Warner Estate Holdings PLC

Pallasades Shopping Centre, Birmingham
Birmingham City Council progressing Gateway proposals


Warner Estate Holdings PLC ('Warner Estate') received notification on 16 July
2008 from Birmingham City Council of the making of the Birmingham City Council
(New Street Station City Centre) Compulsory Purchase Order 2008. The Order
includes the
Pallasades Shopping Centre which is owned by Agora Max Limited, a 50/50 joint
venture with Bank of Scotland. Warner Estate manages the asset on behalf of
Agora Max.

The Order follows the granting of Outline Planning Permission in July 2007 for
the reconfiguration of New Street Station, the Pallasades Shopping Centre and
land to the south (the 'Gateway' scheme). Network Rail are managing the
promotion of the
scheme on behalf of a number of public sector bodies including Network Rail,
Birmingham City Council and Advantage West Midlands ('the Gateway Consortium').
The City Council is proposing to use its compulsory purchase powers to ensure
that property
interests needed for Gateway to be completed can be acquired.

Agora Max and Warner Estate support, in principle, the creation of a
high-quality retail offer above New Street Station, but remain concerned that
the scheme currently being promoted by the Gateway Consortium is not the most
appropriate scheme for the
City or for the Pallasades Shopping Centre and that there are a number of
important issues which remain unresolved and require further work. Warner
Estate continues to liaise with Birmingham City Council and other members of the
Gateway Consortium.

Any objection to the Order must be made by Agora Max and Warner Estate before 29
August 2008. If there are any objections from owners of interests included in
the CPO, a public inquiry will be held in approximately six to eight months time
and
chaired by an inspector. The Secretary of State will consider the inspector's
report and is likely to announce a decision approximately six months later. If
confirmed, the Order may be implemented within three years i.e. the property
interests
acquired or possession taken within three years of confirmation. Compensation
under the Order is triggered by the acquisition of property interests or by
entry on to the land, not the making or confirmation of the Order.

If the Order is confirmed and implemented, Agora Max will receive compensation
for the interest that is acquired from it. The general principle of compensation
is 'equivalence', i.e. to place parties in the financial position that they
would have been
in had their interest not been acquired under the Compulsory Purchase Order.


- ends -
Date: 17 July 2008

Warner Estate Holdings PLC City Profile
Philip Warner, Chairman Simon Courtenay
Michael Stevens, Property Director Tel: 020-7448-3244
Peter Collins, Finance Director
Tel: 020-7907-5100
Web: www.warnerestate.co.uk


This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

MSCBBGDRXGBGGIR

[Hyronymus]

And CPO's are? I failed to get that from the text you quoted.

Do you happen to know what the budget is for constructing this? And when they want it to be finished?

[W_t]

Compulsory Purchase Order

RNS Number : 3031Z
Warner Estate Holdings PLC
17 July 2008


Warner Estate Holdings PLC

Pallasades Shopping Centre, Birmingham
Birmingham City Council progressing Gateway proposals


Warner Estate Holdings PLC ('Warner Estate') received notification on 16 July
2008 from Birmingham City Council of the making of the Birmingham City Council
(New Street Station City Centre) Compulsory Purchase Order 2008. The Order
includes the
Pallasades Shopping Centre which is owned by Agora Max Limited, a 50/50 joint
venture with Bank of Scotland. Warner Estate manages the asset on behalf of
Agora Max.

[JamieLei]

CPO is a Compulsory Purchase Order. It was mentioned in the text, although it's not obvious what it means

According to the press release, it will cost £398 million, but return £2.3 billion in economic benefits. It will be finished in 6 years from now, in 2014 although looking at UK rail projects, it's bound to overrun and overspend... - the exception was St Pancras which was completed under-budget.

[Beardie]

CPO is a Compulsory Purchase Order. It was mentioned in the text, although it's not obvious what it means

According to the press release, it will cost £398 million, but return £2.3 billion in economic benefits. It will be finished in 6 years from now, in 2014 although looking at UK rail projects, it's bound to overrun and overspend... - the exception was St Pancras which was completed under-budget.

I am assuming this is all for the station building on the road, are they actually doing anything the platforms etc. Course i know some station on the WCML have to be made longer for the longer Pendolinos that have been ordered.

[Hyronymus]

Wow, under-budget also makes you wonder how the hell the constructor won the bidding in the first place. Strangely noone ever wonders about that.

[Ploes]

And CPO's are?

Sorry! Didn't realised anyone outside the UK would be interested.

[JamieLei]

I think - but check with Dave - that New Street platforms might just be big enough to contain the 12-car Pendos.

If not, it's easy enough to extend the platforms. The monstrosity that is platform 4c (for the half-hourly Liverpool service) pretty much extended the platform by an extra 2 car lengths.

Plus there might be increased demand for 12-car services of other types. Although trains like the Class 350 Desiro are only about 20m long, and thus can fit into a 10-car platform.

[andel]

If not, it's easy enough to extend the platforms. The monstrosity that is platform 4c (for the half-hourly Liverpool service) pretty much extended the platform by an extra 2 car lengths.

No it's not - there are only a couple of platforms that could accomodate 11-car Class 390s - if I recall correctly that is 1, 2 and 11.

There is very limited space at new street....

[Beardie]

I think - but check with Dave - that New Street platforms might just be big enough to contain the 12-car Pendos.

If not, it's easy enough to extend the platforms. The monstrosity that is platform 4c (for the half-hourly Liverpool service) pretty much extended the platform by an extra 2 car lengths.

Plus there might be increased demand for 12-car services of other types. Although trains like the Class 350 Desiro are only about 20m long, and thus can fit into a 10-car platform.

I am assuming your replying to my post, well i only knew that there were going to be station length changes because he mentioned to me Warrington and Wigan,

[JamieLei]

No it's not - there are only a couple of platforms that could accomodate 11-car Class 390s - if I recall correctly that is 1, 2 and 11.

There is very limited space at new street....

Ah.. - it's ingenious though how they managed to create a whole new bay platform just by putting it out on a limb into the junction. And I it doesn't mess around with conflicting movements.

I've tried to find a map of the platforms but I can't find any. The Google Satellite map however clearly shows however that some platforms are much longer than others (and wider at the ends which allows them to be used to their full length).

[Dave]

If not, it's easy enough to extend the platforms. The monstrosity that is platform 4c (for the half-hourly Liverpool service) pretty much extended the platform by an extra 2 car lengths.

No it's not - there are only a couple of platforms that could accomodate 11-car Class 390s - if I recall correctly that is 1, 2 and 11.

There is very limited space at new street....

Would tend to agree with that but twenty minute Pendos shouldn't struggle with that, especially if one continues to Wolves. I think it would just about work.

Am tempted to say that Platform 7 might be as well, but it's all about the signalling.

I wouldn't worry about New Street too much anyway, the real fun starts...

Here... Wolverhampton is going to struggle with 11-car Pendolinos, as are Warrington, Wigan and Oxenholme. As it stands, of the main stations north of Rugby, only Stafford, Crewe and Preston are currently long enough - Crewe being really long and Preston - for some reason - having a really long island platform for 3 and 4.

I wouldn't even be that confident of Stafford - platform 3 isn't on the main line - it's only a loop. You wouldn't be able to extend a loop too easily.

As it stands, with the amount of places that Virgin intend to stop their Pendolinos in the future reducing dramatically, this may not be so much of an issue. If some aren't being lengthened then obviously these will be the ones used on the stations in question.

Wolverhampton is a terminus for Virgin though, so they can't really escape that.

[Beardie]

Here... Wolverhampton is going to struggle with 11-car Pendolinos, as are Warrington, Wigan and Oxenholme.

Would Wigan really have enough space to even extend because north is the bridge over the Liverpool-Manchester line, and the other way are quiet a few junctions, one being for Liverpool and the other being for Manchester i believe(not to sure that you can get from wigan north western down to wigan wallagate.

Crewe and Preston are currently long enough - Crewe being really long and Preston - for some reason - having a really long island platform for 3 and 4.

Never really noticed but platforms 3 and 4 are really long for preston, why would that be?

[Dave]

Nah it's just long.