HS2 and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) have come to an agreement to deliver utility diversions to enable the Birmingham Eastside extension of the West Midlands Metro to serve the HS2 station at Curzon Street.
The joint plans being developed between the two parties will ensure that the utility diversions needed around the HS2 station will future proof the area for the Birmingham Eastside extension. This extension will see trams run from the current network at Bull Street to Digbeth with a key part of the line being that link to the HS2 station allowing people from across Birmingham and the Black Country access to HS2 when it opens.
The utility diversions at the station will be conducted by HS2’s enabling works contractor LMJV (Laing O’Rourke and J Murphy & Sons Joint Venture) over the coming year as part of the preparation work for the station. This will also lay the foundations for the future construction of the Birmingham Eastside extension, which is one of a number of future lines currently in the planning.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “This agreement with HS2 shows that we are preparing the ground to ensure we are ready to begin construction of our Eastside Metro extension in the New Year. This extension, which will run through Digbeth and the new HS2 Curzon Street Station, is not only part of our wider transport plan for the region, but it will also help create and protect jobs at a challenging time for our economy. The benefits to people both short and long-term will be immense, and it is critical we now press on with the construction.”