The new Perry Barr Railway station is operated by West Midlands Railway and has seen approximately 40,000 passengers making journeys either to or from the station after it opened on the 29th of May this year.
The impressive figures do not take into consideration the many thousands of people who travelled to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as their travel was included as part of their tickets.
Contracted by Transport for West Midlands and the West Midlands Rail Executive to build the new station, construction company Galliford Try undertook the project and has revealed that over 1,000 people, most of whom were local worked on the one-year building programme.
The project saw an investment of £30 million and includes lift access to platforms as well as a new bus interchange with a public space outside of the neighbouring One Stop Shopping Centre.
Student Esme Barraclough was a student who had opted to leave her study of a degree in chemistry at University as she felt a change of direction was needed for her. Taking up a voluntary position on the site over a period of two weeks as unpaid work experience, Esme got a fantastic chance to work alongside a quantity surveyor and having done such a great job securing a position on the site as an apprentice quantity surveyor and is still working with the company.
Esme said: “Being given work experience at the station was an amazing opportunity and it gave me a great insight into the world of construction. It inspired me to want to pursue a career in construction.
“I spent time with the team at Perry Barr looking at all of the different disciplines but the one that stood out for me was Quantity Surveying. I feel extremely privileged for the experience as it got me into my new career which I am now loving.”
Engagement with children from local schools and colleges was also carried out during the construction with visits and designs for site hoardings. James Brindley School is a specialist academy for students struggling with accessing mainstream schools and took part in a site visit.
Simon Courtney, managing director of Galliford Try West Midlands and South West said: “It was a great honour to deliver the new Perry Barr Station and we are not only proud to have achieved this on time, but also to have been able to support so many people into work and training opportunities. People like Esme who we were delighted to take on following a short work experience placement.
“While we know that the bricks-and-mortar station building is a lasting legacy for the area, we would like to think that during construction we made a similarly lasting impact on the community through jobs, apprenticeships and engagement.”
The project was led by Transport for West Midlands and The West Midlands Rail Executive with project partners including, Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Railway, Network Rail, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “We knew that the old, unwelcoming and dark station was putting people off rail in the area and that's why we made demolishing the site and replacing it with a new modern facility a top priority. Now these passenger numbers, six months after opening, show that we absolutely made the right decision.
“The new station was built in time for the Commonwealth Games, but the fact that more people are using the station for their day-to-day travel shows that it is having a much wider and longer-lasting benefit for the area – just as we had planned.
“This is on top of the huge employment benefit the project brought, with Galliford Try revealing they had more than 1,000 workers working on this project – many of whom will now go onto a long and successful career in our region's construction industry.
“All in all the new Perry Barr station has been a real success story, and my thanks to everyone who played their part in making this happen.”
Matt Bradley, head of stations for West Midlands Railway, said:
“Through this investment, Perry Barr has been transformed from one of the most outdated stations on the network to one of the smartest.
“It was fantastic to see the station so busy during the Commonwealth Games and since then it has been great to see how the local people have gone about embracing this fantastic new community facility.”
The project came as part of a larger regeneration of the Perry Barr area which is still ongoing. The new modern station is anticipated to be busier than ever before as many people are moving into new housing built in the locality.
Cllr Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, said:
“The ongoing regeneration of Perry Barr is so impressive, and it is now one of the best-connected areas in the region, with great public transport links.
“The new station has made a huge difference to the area, as is shown by the increased numbers of people using it, not just for rail passengers but to the wider community.
“As the new housing delivered by the council in Perry Barr begins to be occupied in the near future, the station will play an even more important role in the connectivity of the area as the long-term Perry Barr Masterplan becomes reality.”
A massive improvement to Perry Barr railway station including new station building, refurbished platforms, lighting, and of course new stairs and lifts.