A Birmingham railway station has come to life thanks to funding from West Midlands Railway (WMR) and Network Rail (NR).
The platforms at Tyseley station, in the south east of the city, now boast a mixture of art boards showcasing the heritage and history of the local area and destinations that passengers can travel to by rail. The boards have created by independent businesses Creative Touch Design and Art Attack and installed by the West Midlands Railway and Network Rail property teams. Friends of the Shakespeare Line (FoSL) – a Community Station Partnership with more than seventy volunteers – helped develop the look of Tyseley station as part of the its aim to maintain twenty stations between Birmingham and Stratford-Upon-Avon.
The initiative was made possible thanks to a Railway Heritage Association grant from NR and WMR's “Your Community, Your Fund” scheme. WMR's funding is provided by the Department for Transport and allocated to projects across the network.
Vicky Cropper-Clarke, community strategy manager at WMR, said “The artistic boards at Tyseley have transformed the station and will inform passengers travelling through of the wonderful places which they can visit nearby.
“The revamp is a great example of how WMR's Your Community Your Fund scheme can have a huge influence on our passengers' journeys.”
Fraser Pithie, one of six trustees of FoSL and who Chairs the voluntary-led partnership, said: “We were pleased to work with Network Rail and West Midlands Railway to deliver what is a step change in appearance for Tyseley station. The work has seen local volunteers provide the input and we have designed that into the boards that now adorn this wonderful original GWR station.”
Federica Labanca, principal route engineer for Network Rail's Central route, said: “It's been fantastic to work with West Midlands Railway to support such a valuable community station partnership and brighten up journeys for passengers using Tyseley station.
“Having played such a significant role of the history of the railway, it's right that we do all we can to encourage people to continue to enjoy the area around Tyseley and the history and heritage it has to offer.”
