Birmingham HS2 Curzon Street station gets planning approval

City councillors have voted unanimously in favour of plans for Birmingham’s landmark HS2 Curzon Street station.

The £571M station will eventually link Birmingham with London, Manchester and Leeds via a new “Y”-shaped network of tracks for 225mph trains, as part of the £106bn national project.

The design by WSP and Grimshaw Architects includes seven platforms and a main entrance facing the city centre comprising a sheer wall of glass of up to 17m in height and 69m wide. The main building features an arched roof clad in metal panels and supported by large buttresses for the western part.

HS2 is aiming to create one of the most environmentally-friendly railway stations in the world – delivering net zero carbon in operation.

The design adopts the latest eco-friendly design and sustainable technologies including capturing rainwater and sustainable power generation, with over 2800m² of solar panels located on platform canopies.

Matthew Botelle, HS2’s Stations Director said: “Eco-friendly innovations are a fundamental part of our plans, with the station designed to achieve zero carbon emissions from day-to-day energy consumption.

“This makes it highly efficient by generating energy through a range of different technologies to maximise natural resources such as sunlight and water.”