Midlands Rail Hub 20m extra seats

[172007]

I remember the old plans to move the main entrance to a pedestrianised Livery Street by The Old Contemptables!

Very much pie in the sky, part of a re-imagined Snow Hill area.

I disagree with you conclusion. The plans looked well thought out, with office buildings above the station matching the current 1 - 4 Snow Hill. The station entrance was to be where it is now and also on the side. The livery Street car park is never more than half full and never has been.

What scuppered it was Covid tbh.

I believe Birningham Council are still persuing the crazy idea of pedestrianising the A38 at Snow Hill which would have fitted into the overall scheme.

Back to the Midlands Rail Hub. Platform 4 work at Snow Hill has stopped. Apparently someone looked at something, took a load of photographs and worked stopped.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

I disagree with you conclusion. The plans looked well thought out, with office buildings above the station matching the current 1 - 4 Snow Hill. The station entrance was to be where it is now and also on the side. The livery Street car park is never more than half full and never has been.

What scuppered it was Covid tbh.

I believe Birningham Council are still persuing the crazy idea of pedestrianising the A38 at Snow Hill which would have fitted into the overall scheme.

Back to the Midlands Rail Hub. Platform 4 work at Snow Hill has stopped. Apparently someone looked at something, took a load of photographs and worked stopped.

The plans were well thought out, I just meant that they were never going to actually happen. I think it was part of the 'Big City Plan's or something like that.

It would have meant the staff car park being removed though.

 

[172007]

The plans were well thought out, I just meant that they were never going to actually happen. I think it was part of the 'Big City Plan's or something like that.

It would have meant the staff car park being removed though.

It would have cost a lot to remove the carpark which will go eventually.

Staff car park is way to small and they get lucky that staff swap jobs so they can get the train to and from work and some on lates park at Tyseley depot which reduces presaure.

 

[D365]

... and some on lates park at Tyseley depot which reduces presaure.

Crikey, that's a bit of a trek.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Crikey, that's a bit of a trek.

Just jump on a train, or ECS move into Snow Hill. Happens every day, both am and pm.

 

[The Planner]

Crikey, that's a bit of a trek.

Only 2 and a bit miles.

 

[BanburyBlue]

Are there any known high-level plans for how this will all be done?
Is platform 4 reopening at Snow Hill one of the first things in the plan?

 

[TheNerdCharlie]

From signs inside Birmingham New Street today, Network Rail have applied to close Bordesley Station as part of the Midland Rail Hub improvements.

Image shows a picture of a letter displayed in Birmingham New Street Station setting out the Proposal to close Bordesley Station

 

[sad1e]

It's had this coming for a very long time , Good to finally know when it's actually due to close by.

 

[The exile]

At least they’re giving plenty of notice.

 

[P156KWJ]

As long as the proposed plans actually materialise once they've got rid of the station then this will undoubtedly be worth it in the long run.

What I wouldn't want to see happen is the closure of a station mysteriously followed by the remaining bits of the project not happening due to lack of funding (other excuses may be available)

 

[stadler]

When would this actually happen? What is the usual timeframe for these station closure proposals to get processed and approved? Could it even end up taking multiple years?

 

[The exile]

When would this actually happen? What is the usual timeframe for these station closure proposals to get processed and approved? Could it even end up taking multiple years?

On or after 4/6/29 according to the poster. Can’t imagine there will be S&C levels of opposition.

 

[flitwickbeds]

And bang goes the argument that it's too expensive to close a station.

Imagine how much money could've been saved if they'd done this 20 years ago.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

And bang goes the argument that it's too expensive to close a station.

Imagine how much money could've been saved if they'd done this 20 years ago.

In response to the first point, it is often said that it is simply less hassle and cheaper to keep a station open than to close it until something happens which justifies closing it. Which, assuming that Bordesley actually is in the way of the proposed works, is the case here. Similar in many ways to Norton Bridge which was formally closed but not Barlaston and Wedgwood which remain 'open'.

Does anyone know when Bordesley last had a decent service, say hourly all day Monday to Saturday?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Feb 2026 ==

On or after 4/6/29 according to the poster. Can’t imagine there will be S&C levels of opposition.

Football fans of the world unite! Save Birmingham City FC station.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

As long as the proposed plans actually materialise once they've got rid of the station then this will undoubtedly be worth it in the long run.

What I wouldn't want to see happen is the closure of a station mysteriously followed by the remaining bits of the project not happening due to lack of funding (other excuses may be available)

You do realise is normally locked up and only opened when Birmingham City are playing at home? It's essentially closed for at least 300 days of the year, not really much of a loss either way.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Feb 2026 ==

Does anyone know when Bordesley last had a decent service, say hourly all day Monday to Saturday?

Did it ever?

 

[a_c_skinner]

Bit pissed off by this as I wanted (a few years ago) to make a rail journey to somewhere close to Bordesley. Easy to show a station isn't needed. Put on hardly any trains and cite the passenger numbers.

 

[Farigiraf]

When is it planned for the Metro to reach the Bordesley area & the stadium as part of the Eastside extension? Will there be an awkward gap when Birmingham City's stadium will have no rail transport for a few years?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Feb 2026 ==

Football fans of the world unite! Save Birmingham City FC station.

I wonder if people will say the same once Manchester United Football Ground station is properly closed, as it's been mothballed since 2017. I think most regulars to the stadium don't even know there was once a station there.

 

[flitwickbeds]

it is often said that it is simply less hassle and cheaper to keep a station open than to close it until something happens which justifies closing it.

And I've been trying for years to work that out!

Here we have a station which, in February 2026, has been proposed to be closed in (almost exactly) 5 months time. Excluding any engineering works or, unusually for this station, an extended service on match days - there will be approximately 22 more trains between now and its closure.

The tangible costs between now and then is printing of a few posters, hiring of a few village halls for "consultation", and placing of adverts in a handful of newspapers. Then you have someone who would receive, read and largely ignore any submissions, and write a final report recommending closure. That's it.

Compared to 20+ years of station repair and maintenance, additional driver training, additional costs of special rostering, additional costs of rail replacement buses or taxis, security, power, etc etc etc.

There are some other stations in the same situation across the country also. It all adds up.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

You do realise is normally locked up and only opened when Birmingham City are playing at home? It's essentially closed for at least 300 days of the year, not really much of a loss either way.

The list of stations that are 'essentially closed' is quite a long one and Bordesly is one of the better served ones.
I used it on a non-match day and was unsurprisingly the only user.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

When is it planned for the Metro to reach the Bordesley area & the stadium as part of the Eastside extension? Will there be an awkward gap when Birmingham City's stadium will have no rail transport for a few years?

Would barely fill a 3 car 172 on a Saturday, so we're talking 100-150 passengers. So not many fans actually use it.

Certainly doesn't compare to Witton/Aston or Hawthorns which require police to stem the flow to the platforms

 

[Sprinter107]

Thats actually not true. A lot more than 100 fans use it. In fact, it was because so many fans use it, that trains from Birmingham befire the match and trains to Birmingham after the match no longer call. It was deemed the platform was too narrow to take the many people wanting to use it.

 

[Travelmonkey]

the one time i tried to take it WMR didn't even open the gates, and that was on a matchday, It's a odity but it does stagnate groth, I couldn't use it now even if I wanted too. it does make sense to get the ball rolling and with the metro sitting gathering dust that will serve far better than a parlimentary service. although still lots of HS2 works needed before we see a tram south of the WCML,

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Thats actually not true. A lot more than 100 fans use it. In fact, it was because so many fans use it, that trains from Birmingham befire the match and trains to Birmingham after the match no longer call. It was deemed the platform was too narrow to take the many people wanting to use it.

Perhaps it's changed somewhat, that was my first hand experience from working the Snow Hill lines prior to 2020.

 

[Travelmonkey]

Thats actually not true. A lot more than 100 fans use it. In fact, it was because so many fans use it, that trains from Birmingham befire the match and trains to Birmingham after the match no longer call. It was deemed the platform was too narrow to take the many people wanting to use it.

that and unlike the ones for the neigbours (west brom/aston Villa) Bordesley is a island platfrom. the others are also acessible whereas Bordesley is just a relitivley narrow staircase.

 

[Sprinter107]

Perhaps it's changed somewhat, that was my first hand experience from working the Snow Hill lines prior to 2020.

Not really. Ive been working trains through there for many many years, since it had a regular weekday service and match days have always been busy.

 

[Pokelet]

Interesting that the closure notice is displayed at New Street seeing as there is no service between the two stations.

 

[Sprinter107]

In response to the first point, it is often said that it is simply less hassle and cheaper to keep a station open than to close it until something happens which justifies closing it. Which, assuming that Bordesley actually is in the way of the proposed works, is the case here. Similar in many ways to Norton Bridge which was formally closed but not Barlaston and Wedgwood which remain 'open'.

Does anyone know when Bordesley last had a decent service, say hourly all day Monday to Saturday?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Feb 2026 ==


Football fans of the world unite! Save Birmingham City FC station.

Yes, i can remember Bordesley having an all day service. They were every hour off peak, xx.11 Stratford trains off Moor Street, then I'm sure that was altered to the XX.43 Shirley trains. The last train of the day was the 18.43 Moor Street to Stratford. Quite a lot of extra trains called in the rush hour. This was early to mid 1980s. Peak trains had a good few passengers, but the off peak ones not so. Theyd stop, and very often no one would board or alight. I think it was the late 1980s (such a long tine ago to remember) when the off peak trains were taken off. There were still a number of peak hour trains calling, but they got reduced across the years, to what we have now. Just one train per week, the 14.08 Sats to Birmingham and onwards to Kidderminster, and then the extra trains on match days of course.

 

[swt_passenger]

And I've been trying for years to work that out!

Here we have a station which, in February 2026, has been proposed to be closed in (almost exactly) 5 months time.

But it’s proposed for 2029 as per the poster, and also mentioned in reply #6.

It’ll likely take that long for the changes to the viaducts to be designed in any case…

 

[The exile]

Compared to 20+ years of station repair and maintenance, additional driver training, additional costs of special rostering, additional costs of rail replacement buses or taxis, security, power, etc etc etc.

There are some other stations in the same situation across the country also. It all adds up.

Don’t forget that while day to day “servicing costs” may well cease the day a station closes (emptying litter bins, cleaning,etc), maintenance costs don’t unless and until the structures are removed (which itself costs a lot of money). There’s no need for lighting at a closed station to work, but there is a need to ensure that those lighting poles don’t fall down and foul the running lines - to give just one example.