UK interchange seems an apt name for the proposed station. It’s not hard to imagine it becoming the UK’s biggest transport hub. But add in new houses, and business parks, plus a large number of stakeholders whose needs must be accommodated, and surely it begs the question: can it work? How can you design enough capacity for the decades ahead?
It’s a challenge, acknowledges Wakeman: “The site is smack in the middle of one of the most congested parts of the motorway in the Midlands. We’ve been working with Highways England, and part of the strategy is to look at connectivity and constraints on current capacity. We can’t deliver the strategy without looking at connectivity... the NEC and the airport are stakeholders - all of these plans need to work for all of the stakeholders. We’re putting in place a whole programme of infrastructure requirements for the interchange site so we can maximise development potential without current pressures .”
The airport is touted as a key gateway to international markets, but the rail opportunities are not ignored. Birmingham wants its direct trains to Paris and beyond, and the strategy calls for the link between HS2 and HS1 to be built to further enhance the regional economy.
For the city centre station, the LEP and Birmingham City Council have more control over their own destiny. The station design still needs to be finalised with HS2, and how it connects to other modes of transport is key to that process. The Midland Metro tram line is already being extended into the city centre towards Birmingham New Street. Another line is proposed to connect to Curzon Street, with further extensions to other outlying districts to follow.
Pedestrian links are also important - the new station must not act as a physical barrier to other areas of the city, which include a proposed new business zone offering 400,000 square metres of ‘Grade A’ office space and a residential zone with 3,000 homes.
Beyond the costs of building the high-speed line itself, everything proposed in the Midlands Growth Strategy comes with a price tag. Changes to roads… capacity enhancements on the existing rail network, tram and bus corridors… all are required to make sure the connectivity is maximised, and all need substantial investment. Even a new People Mover is being discussed, to tie in the airport to the Interchange station and the NEC.
Meanwhile, elements of the strategy that are not so physically obvious but absolutely essential, such as support for business and up-skilling the workforce, also demand money.
In late November 2015, leaders in the region signed up to a devolution deal that will give the emerging West Midlands Combined Authority (working across the geography of the three Local Enterprise Partnerships) the funding and the powers to focus on precisely these issues - transport, housing and job creation. In total the package is worth around £8bn, spread over 30 years, with £4.4bn committed to delivering the HS2 growth strategy. Has devolution made things easier?
“It makes it easier in as much as they’ve given us provisional agreement to implement our strategy,” considers Wakeman.
“Obviously there are conditions attached to it. The key thing for us is the sequencing of delivery. We have to make sure we do things at the right time at the right speed involving all the necessary stakeholders. That’s crucial. If we get that sequencing wrong we will never get a chance to put it right. So we’re working extremely hard to make sure that everything we’ve identified is done in a logical, structured, ordered manner, aligned to the building programme for HS2. Regardless, our aspirations are we must align with that to maximise value for the taxpayer and maximise opportunity for collaborative working.”
Significant amounts of money will be spent for the next eight to ten years around both the Curzon Street station (£610m) and Interchange station (£672m) sites. The same applies for what is described as the “pre-HS2 phase of the connectivity package” (£1,485m) - starting to tie in the new stations to their environment long before they are built and trains start running.
The best part of a decade on from initial proposals, HS2’s elements are more clearly defined than ever. Phase 1 will now continue to a ‘classic rail’ interchange at Crewe, delivering benefits to the north of England much sooner than originally envisaged. The station in Leeds will also be fully integrated with existing services, rather than standing in isolation. Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent has been disappointed not to get a station, and Sheffield would still like one in the city centre rather than at Meadowhall. In any large infrastructure project, it’s inevitable that not every interest can be served. Even in the West Midlands, the benefits have had to be sold repeatedly.
Wakeman concludes: “The issues we have are related to business and residents who are having to relocate. For Birmingham that’s very few in the city centre, but we are dealing with those on a case by case basis, trying to find a solution that takes into account individual needs. For us, the question is how do we win the hearts and minds of the wider population going forward about evidencing the benefits of HS2.”
Is that going to be a tough sell?
“What we have to do is take it down to an individual level and explain to people what it means for them. It’s about jobs in this region. It’s also about the opportunity for new housing, because there will be a need to accommodate people moving. That in itself brings other opportunities in leisure and education. Those are the things we’ve been talking about.
“We need to recognise HS2 does have an impact on some people, for those affected out in the countryside. If we lose sight of the fact we have to consider this on an individual basis, and understand the impact it has on individuals, then we lose the plot a bit.”
Having developed the strategy and secured the funding to deliver it, the Local Enterprise Partnership now has to draw up an implementation plan by spring next year. The timescale is tight, but the fact that the Government has agreed to fund the full amount it bid for has given the team confidence in what they propose. They recognise the unique situation being offered by HS2, and the fact they will be the first area to benefit.
Others would appear to share the view. Mike Steventon, Midlands Regional Chairman at KPMG, says: “The huge investment being put into the region’s infrastructure through HS2 will make it even more attractive for business and inward investment. In fact, we’ve already seen large corporates relocating to Birmingham citing HS2 as a contributing factor.”
With trains still ten years away, that is real long-term planning. The growth strategy is designed to capitalise on that vision, redrawing the map of the area and ensuring promises are delivered.
