Frieze depicting athletes added as Perry Barr station nears completion

A bronze-coloured frieze depicting athletes in action has been installed on the front of Perry Barr railway station.

The station is being rebuilt in time to welcome visitors for this summer’s Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and is due to open later this spring. It will provide a welcoming gateway to Perry Barr, where many of the games’ events will be held. As well as the new, weathered-effect, cladding, the station now has modern facilities including lifts to the platform, ticket office, waiting area, and customer toilets.

The development is being led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE). It includes construction of an upgraded bus interchange outside the neighbouring One Stop Shopping Centre that allows buses to pull in and out more efficiently than the previous layout. Other partners in the development include:

Birmingham City Council;
Network Rail;
West Midlands Trains;
Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP);
Galliford Try;
SLC-AECOM Joint Venture.

The majority of the funding for the project has come from the West Midlands Combined Authority, GBSLEP, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and Birmingham City Council’s cabinet advisor for major transport projects Cllr Chaman Lal, visited the site to check on progress.

The Mayor said: “I was here last May when the old station and shops had just been demolished and it’s amazing to see how much progress has been made, even with all the other works going on around the site.

“With a new station, new Sprint bus route, a new bus interchange, and of course cycling routes, residents as well as visitors will have more options for their journeys than ever before. These are changes that will benefit the local community for decades to come, leaving a legacy that lasts well beyond the Commonwealth Games.”

Cllr Lal said: “The new Perry Barr station looks fantastic, and I cannot wait for the day when thousands of fans are making their way through it on their way to watch the Commonwealth Games. The Games are bringing a huge amount of investment into our city, building homes, creating jobs, and improving our public transport systems.

“Perry Barr will become one of the best-connected suburbs in the city, with the newly-renovated station at the heart of this, serving the community for decades to come.”

Louise Brooke-Smith, board director, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP), added: “It’s fantastic to see first-hand the progress on Perry Barr station. Along with the bus interchange and wider improvements, the station has transformed this area of Birmingham ahead of the Commonwealth Games later this year.

“Through our unique triple helix structure of working with local authorities, businesses and partners, we’ve invested £3.5 million into this major regeneration of Perry Barr. After the Games, it will continue to benefit local people and businesses – creating better places for our communities and driving inclusive economic growth to support our local economy.”