West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says Perry Barr’s newly-opened station shows how the Commonwealth Games can leave a lasting legacy for local people.
Mr Street, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “The Commonwealth Games this Summer will bring 11 exciting days of sporting spectacle and put our region in the spotlight. But the Games also have the potential to deliver a legacy for the people of the West Midlands for generations to come.
“The new station at Perry Barr is a great example of what that lasting legacy for our region actually means, and how it will improve the lives of local people.
“It is a huge improvement on the old station – it’s more spacious, has better lighting and has much better facilities, including lifts up to the platform. This is brilliant news for residents but also for Games visitors making their way to the newly improved Alexander Stadium nearby.”
The station stands at the centre of a rapidly changing Perry Barr and will be a key gateway welcoming visitors to Alexander Stadium for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games – something celebrated on the station’s sport themed frieze.
New facilities for passengers include a ticket office, accessible toilet and baby change facilities as well as lifts and stairs to the platform. The station provides regular, fast and direct West Midlands Railway services to Birmingham city centre, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Building work began last May with the demolition of the unattractive old station and parade of shops and has continued at pace since with the project delivered on time and on budget.
The railway station and bus interchange project partnership includes Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midland Combined Authority (WMCA), the West Midlands Rail Executive, Birmingham City Council, Network Rail and West Midlands Trains.
Funding has been provided by the WMCA, Birmingham City Council, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The £30.9 million project costs include the redevelopment of the bus interchange outside the neighbouring One Stop Shopping Centre. This is set to be completed ahead of the Commonwealth Games.