Moor Street platforms timetable brought forward
Jul 8 2005


Restored platforms at Moor Street Station are to open a year earlier than planned following pressure from MPs and Birmingham City Council.

The Edwardian station was refurbished two years ago at a cost of £11 million but Network Rail planned to keep the restored platforms closed until 2007/08, at the earliest.

It led to complaints in the Commons, with MPs demanding they be opened sooner, and Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby said waiting until 2007 would be "totally unacceptable".

The Department for Transport has now announced that the platforms are expected to open late next year. Transport Minister Derek Twigg said: "Network Rail and Chiltern Railways have worked closely to accelerate the opening of platforms three and four.

"Currently the timing for their reopening is in late 2006. This date is subject to the creation of a robust construction timetable and completion of the legal processes to allow the terminal platforms to be re-connected with the network."

John Hemming (Lib Dem Yardley) had presented a Parliamentary motion condemning the delay. This was backed by 11 MPs including Andrew Mitchell ( Con Sutton Coldfield).

Mr Hemming said he was delighted action had been taken. "It was always ridiculous to spend so much money refurbishing the platforms and then not to use them."

More than 45,000 people travel through Moor Street each year but have to use adjoining throughplatforms on the Snow Hill line, and walk several hundred yards to the original station.

Funding from the Birmingham Alliance and Chiltern Railways is also set to pay for a new cafe-bar, passenger footbridge, lifts and waiting area.

45,000 people. Is that it? must be a typo.

Great news anyway

A rather muted "hoorah".
End of next year still seems a long way off. Does anyone know what work is involved to reconnect them .. overhead power cables, does the track need relaying?

No overhead cables, as the line isn't electrified.

I would imagine that most of the track would either be repaired or replaced (more likely the latter) and re-signalling is almost definatley required.

isnt there 5 platforms???

There is, yes. I presume that they've either made a bit of a foul up when doing the editorial, or that platform 5 is to be re-opened later (An old GWR steam loco is still there at the moment).

it should read 4,500,000 passengers (12,300 / day) - great news!

Thats more like it!
45,000?!?!? lmao!!

Good news also work should start soon on Glenn Howells Cafe, i know its a small scheme but should be nice, Excellent architects.

Should start soon enough

http://www.glennhowells.co.uk/news/moor%20street%20gha%20web%20image.jpg

I think its already started, there are plenty of workmen around there, but there is a high wall where the cafe's glass front will be at the moment, so you cant see the building site !

I think its already started, there are plenty of workmen around there, but there is a high wall where the cafe's glass front will be at the moment, so you cant see the building site !

That'll be the one. :)

Along with the Glenn Howells cafe, the canopies are being replaced and there is also a new period footbridge. This is all due to be finished by christmas and I think it's going to look brilliant.

http://tinypic.com/dz82mt.jpg

http://tinypic.com/dz82s5.jpg

i saw this when i was visiting last week and i was soo pleased to se it going ahead as planed...... i was worried those horrible 1980s canopies would never be replaced.......

however, now with the old/new bridge and the new cafe, the station will look amazing!

Wow!!
I love that bridge, Stunning!

i noticed the other day that the steam train is gone.

yep the steam engine gone missing

Don't worry it's back. I saw it there today :)

yay!

Once this is finished and the whole station reopened with all 5 platforms it really is going to create what is Birmingham's most dramatic architectural dichotomy in the city's modern history - and by that I mean, we will have the old "traditional GWR period" Moor Street station standing cheek by jowl right next to the crazy space-age thingy that is Selfridges. A more conflicting two buildings you will not find anywhere in this country! Totally surreal or what??? :D

And makes a refreshing change from Birmingham's reputation of bulldozing beautiful railways stations (New St, Snow Hill), i almost cried after seeing the pic of snowhill in its previous glory.

lol, well its already well weird shooting a picture of a steam train infront of selfridges

Once this is finished and the whole station reopened with all 5 platforms it really is going to create what is Birmingham's most dramatic architectural dichotomy in the city's modern history - and by that I mean, we will have the old "traditional GWR period" Moor Street station standing cheek by jowl right next to the crazy space-age thingy that is Selfridges. A more conflicting two buildings you will not find anywhere in this country! Totally surreal or what??? :D

Conflicting, and bloody wonderful.

Apparently there will be steam trains running in from Stratford when it opens :)

well it already runs from snow hill to stratford....though i would assume as soon as this is finished this would be a more appropriote terminal

Yep. Moor street is going to be used for thr "Shakespeare Express" steam services when it's open. :)

Incidentally, Chiltern asked the Seven Valley Railway for advice when restoring Moor Street.

That's interesting Splop - it obviously pays to consult the experts!

I can envisage the best photo opp in the UK here - the image of a steam train hissing in Moor St Stn, the glittering Selfridges billowing in the background, and a tram threading its way between the 2 buildings on the Aston spur of the Metro...

Moor St. Station is a real beauty. I'm really glad they're restoring it.

And as for reconnecting the other platforms. All I can say is

ITS ABOUT GODDAMN TIME!!

Can you imagine it taking this long if the station were in London? I don't think so!

that thing glen howells have designed is rubbish they could do sooooo much better

You are a very naughty Pirlo - if they have £15 million to spend on a cafe I am sure it would be better, but there are budgetary constraints not to mention the fact that the station is listed.

It will be a great little spot this, with all the eateries coming in the Pavilions too!

i know but all it looks like is a glass box

i know but all it looks like is a glass box
Well, a plain glass facade.
http://www.glennhowells.co.uk/news/moor%20street%20gha%20web%20image.jpg
I think the point is that anything high or elaborate would over-power the main station building. I'd have prefered an elaborate red-brick facade in keeping with the rest of the station. But a simple glass front complements just fine.

And as for reconnecting the other platforms. All I can say is

ITS ABOUT GODDAMN TIME!!

Can you imagine it taking this long if the station were in London? I don't think so!

Yes, I agree!! I may have written something along these lines in New St thread recently too!

It should get something big, and beautiful but this will have to do alas

I still don't understand why it will take so long to sort the signalling out and the track:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/lusaka/birmingham_moor_street_new3.jpg

it's such a nice contrast old and new working together:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v475/lusaka/birmingham_moor_street_new2.jpg

What did the old Snow Hill look like?

This.

http://www.railcar.co.uk/pics/120-129/120/im01.jpg

I still don't understand why it will take so long to sort the signalling out and the track:

Yes, i mean how difficult is it just to lay some track for God sake!!??

Yes, i mean how difficult is it just to lay some track for God sake!!??


None of this comes as much of a shock to ME though - after all, it's taking them OVER 10 YEARS to sort out the resignalling/track engineering between Manchester-Stockport in that they've closed this stretch of line down at weekends for five months during summer EVERY SINGLE YEAR between 1995 and this year...and it STILL isn't fucking finished yet.....

And they built a new station platform at Stockport which was complete about two years ago and still it hasn't been connected to the main line network yet.....so we have a very similar problem here too....To say it's gone way beyond ridiculous has to be the understatement to end all understatements.....

Truly Railtrack/Network Rail are hopeless and pathetic.

Truly Railtrack/Network Rail are hopeless and pathetic.

I'll 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th that.

http://tinypic.com/fciry8.jpg

im LOVING this

Is that steel structure going to be all cafe or will it have other things too? cause it looks very big for a cafe.

It actually looks pretty cool, very nice somewhat.
*Are you Fucking Mad*
*Duh you've only just noticed that*

Thanks for the pics Foxtrot - I never thought it was this big!

I guess it will contain offices too?

Is that Steam engine just there for show? The back of the pavillions has started undergoing it's revamp I see.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%205/PICT017408062006.jpg

Thanks for the photo.What's in .....er.....store for the Pavillions?

Is that steel structure going to be all cafe or will it have other things too? cause it looks very big for a cafe.
I have heard the people who were going to rent it have pulled out, and now it's empty.

I have heard the people who were going to rent it have pulled out, and now it's empty.


Welcome to Birmingham :clown:

It seems so strange that Moor St Station is so close to the Bullring,yet there is no easy way to access it. I wish the Selfridges design had given a better station to station walkway throught the Bullring. ( althought I know there is that small side door )

Is that Steam engine just there for show? The back of the pavillions has started undergoing it's revamp I see.

The only revamp the Pavillions needs is to be totally flattened and rebuilt with something far more interesting and in keeping with the area: quite possibly incorporating the Bull Ring and/or MSS

I do like that pic (rightclick/save as) :)

And yes, that loco is there for show at the moment.

Oh, and I read in a copy of Heritage Railway magazine that Vintage trains was thinking of allocating a Pannier tank there as a station pilot. Apparently they have a black one that's main line certified for 2 years. :banana:

BTW - Can anyone confirm if the track at the end of the station is being de-weeded? I dunno if it's just me, but it looks "cleaner" somehow.

can anyone else remember when the tracks are due to be re-connected to the mainline network!?!?!?

It seems so strange that Moor St Station is so close to the Bullring,yet there is no easy way to access it. I wish the Selfridges design had given a better station to station walkway throught the Bullring. ( althought I know there is that small side door )
From the main concourse out of the door onto Moor Street Queensway, cross the road and there it is. Is that too difficult for you?

From the main concourse out of the door onto Moor Street Queensway, cross the road and there it is. Is that too difficult for you?

Maybe a more direct route which does not involve crossing one of the biggest wastes of money spent recently. The bus mall is terrible. I think a tunnel or bridge should be made to connect the station directly to the bullring.

The bus mall is terrible.

We should have copied West Brom's bus station....one of the best around complete with some Alsop nonsense.Walsall's bus station is impressive too.....I'd even say that Wednesbury's bus sation is better than Moor St.

can anyone else remember when the tracks are due to be re-connected to the mainline network!?!?!?



The news is a bit of a pisser to be honest with you, Woody. It's not happening any time soon. :(

I suggest you folks ALL check out the latest/current (fortnightly - the date escapes me exactly) issue of RAIL magazine and gasp in horror - but resigned disgust - at the latest bombshell that has hit this ongoing saga. My exact reiteration here may be vague - as I do not have a photographic memory when it comes to remembering every word of what I read in a newspaper - but the news article consists of words to the effect that Network Rail have started banging on about refusing permission or access privileges for Chiltern Trains to fast-track this already much-delayed reconnection/signalling scheme.... which means that the earlier projected date of re-connection around 2008/9 could be delayed by another few years as the rail operator needs to seek/obtain some sort of spurious legislative approval before it can press ahead - or something. Network Rail are saying it's now beyond their means and it's up to Chiltern to carry on doing the dirty work.

The sheer amount of internal wrangling going and faffing about and timewasting between all parties involved in this debacle is quite astonishing but then it's perfectly in keeping with just about anything Birmingham-related, don't you agree? It really is uncanny to the point of becoming a cliche. At this rate we might even get the New Street station revamp completed before this Moor Street terminus sees trains running again. Just pathetic. :no:

Who's the Minister For Transport this month, i'll write to him/her and ask if they know anything ?

From the main concourse out of the door onto Moor Street Queensway, cross the road and there it is. Is that too difficult for you?

What I meant was the Bullring seems to be deisgned to connect NSS and High St with St Martins Sq and the markets. The Moor St side entrance looks more like an after thought. With all the east side regeneration it will never be underused. The long wallkway along the Mor St Queensway suddenly seems to end with the Selfridges 'wall'. More attention could have been given to open up that entrace and connect it with Moor St and the eastside.

Same goes to the Pavillion's entrace towards Moor St also.

I reckon they should rename Moor St station to "Birmingham Bull Ring" now it's right next to Selfridges. Calling it Moor St just smacks too much of being New Street's poor relation.

It would also drive home the idea that it isn't second rate location to be landed in the city centre and might boost its usage by occaisional vistors. Most of Stornoway probably know that the Bull Ring = centre of Brum, while I bet there are plenty of native Brummies who would struggle to identify exactly which street in town was Moor St.

The news is a bit of a pisser to be honest with you, Woody. It's not happening any time soon. :(

I suggest you folks ALL check out the latest/current (fortnightly - the date escapes me exactly) issue of RAIL magazine and gasp in horror - but resigned disgust - at the latest bombshell that has hit this ongoing saga. My exact reiteration here may be vague - as I do not have a photographic memory when it comes to remembering every word of what I read in a newspaper - but the news article consists of words to the effect that Network Rail have started banging on about refusing permission or access privileges for Chiltern Trains to fast-track this already much-delayed reconnection/signalling scheme.... which means that the earlier projected date of re-connection around 2008/9 could be delayed by another few years as the rail operator needs to seek/obtain some sort of spurious legislative approval before it can press ahead - or something. Network Rail are saying it's now beyond their means and it's up to Chiltern to carry on doing the dirty work.

The sheer amount of internal wrangling going and faffing about and timewasting between all parties involved in this debacle is quite astonishing but then it's perfectly in keeping with just about anything Birmingham-related, don't you agree? It really is uncanny to the point of becoming a cliche. At this rate we might even get the New Street station revamp completed before this Moor Street terminus sees trains running again. Just pathetic. :no:

Is this, along with the seemingly never ending Arena Central, the butt ugly Orion, the Metro etc actual incompetence?

Or is it to make everyone more receptive to the idea of a Ken Livingstone style regional mayor? (An idea I'm very much in favour of BTW)

Just to reiterate - and amend on - the earlier posting I put up above, the ongoing Moor Street fiasco is actually NOT strictly the doing of Network Rail - rather it's actually the Department Of Transport who are at loggerheads with Chiltern Rail because, according to the news article in Rail Magazine, they are "not happy with the way the project is being funded" or indeed are yet to be convinced by Chiltern as to how they will go about financing this.

Besides, there is also the small matter of Chiltern Rail wanting to take advantage of the "window" that is being made available when the Saltley resignalling project is started on around April 2007 and were very keen on trying to persuade Network Rail to consider incorporating the Moor Street terminus reconnection programme into this Saltley scheme, but DoT's claim is that they (Chiltern) may now have to abandon this and put the whole thing on ice indefinitely as a result of either not putting forward a good enough case for funding or for whatever other reason.... the result being that CR now have no choice or further say in the matter except to step down and thus the whole fiasco goes on and on and bleeding bastard on.....

How come this sort of thing is allowed to escalate into such a farcical state of affairs? It's a bloody joke and so typical of just about everything that Birmingham gets involved with - be it road schemes, buildings/skyscrapers or of course its railways..... :bash:

they are "not happy with the way the project is being funded" or indeed are yet to be convinced by Chiltern as to how they will go about financing this.

Why the bloody hell should the DOT not be happy? they're not paying for the bastard thing, Chiltern is.

Wankers.

Why the bloody hell should the DOT not be happy? they're not paying for the bastard thing, Chiltern is.

Wankers.


It's all to do with that spurious old chestnut: auditing. They (the DoT) feel it in their authority to have to keep "tabs" on other people and how they go about securing and making use of finances. Fucking spurious politics and all that.......it's just bureaucracy / red tape gone crazy if you ask me. Utter crap innit?

:evil:

It's all to do with that spurious old chestnut: auditing. They (the DoT) feel it in their authority to have to keep "tabs" on other people and how they go about securing and making use of finances. Fucking spurious politics and all that.......it's just bureaucracy / red tape gone crazy if you ask me. Utter crap innit?

:evil:

In otherwords, you're spending too much money on Moor street, and not enough on us?

Typical greedy bastards. :|

I've just heard a rumour the the Department of Twats/Transport has point blank refused to let Chiltern spend anymore money on Moor Street. PLEASE tell me it was false.

I read this too! :O

Makes you want to weep!!! Such a wasted opportunity, I just don't understand why it can take soooo long to connect a few platforms to a fucking track, and this throwing toys out of pram business that seems to be happening now, well, it defies ALL belief. I think Moor Street, and the reopening of Moseley line to serve it would really add a lot of value to B/hams shoddy public transport system. And give us a station we can be proud of, yes not as big as new street but certainly a lot nicer!

totally agreed.... well we'll just have to wait and wait

^^ Ah the reopening of the Mosely line. That'll not happen for a while but agree it would be great for the city in terms of reducing the congestion and number of cars in the city centre and routes from the south.

Read a story in metro that would make Martin's blood boil. Apparently the computer broke at Moor Street and apologised for the late arrival of a train non-stop for 20 minutes while fed up passengers screamed for it to shut up!

:rofl:

I can just imagine if Martin was stuck on that platform...

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a366/robinsonworld/HPIM0392.jpg

We only saw night time renders of that cafe didn't we?

Thanks Stephen - it's big isn't it?

I like it - it doesn't scream "look at me!" (It would lose given that the lovely Moor St and Selfridges next door.

Anybody look like ocupying it yet?

Didn't notice, or don't remember noticing anyway.

Wasn't too keen when I saw it, looks a bit 70s Motorway station sevice. But it may look good with the lights on, signs up and people outside.

Tis big though.

But then I've just remember what it use to look like, come out of the station and straight into a dark and dingy underpass to get anywhere, well unless you went via the pub on Stilts...

I'd forgotten about the "Ship Ashore" pub next to Moor Street, now that was a strange place!

Anyone got any news on this? When platforms will be connected etc?

Not to sure when it will be opened to normal network, however I read an article inRAIL magazine this week that Moor St will be considered for the birmingham spur terminus on the proposed HS2 rail line!!!
Does anyone have any other news on this.

found this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Speed_Two

don't know if it is old news or what but I'd like to see how they get a full length Eurostar in Moor St. They must have some abitious plans for it's development. Is the Snow Hill/Moor Street Tunnel wide enough for platforms?

Isn't there a bit of free land at Moor St Station just past the multi-storey car park?

Reconnection for new commuter lines to Kings Heath and Fort Dunlop / Water Orton needs to be done...yesterday!! Jeez this is so frustrating! Also, there are 3 empty units still! This is a major gateway opportunity for retail units yet prospective retailers appear to be stalling.

Is that Steam engine just there for show? The back of the pavillions has started undergoing it's revamp I see.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/Robdann/Birmingham%205/PICT017408062006.jpg
Hangs abou?! whats happeing there?! doesntm look real?