Plans to expand Birmingham's University station unveiled

Plans to expand an "overcrowded" rail station in a bid to help it cope with increasing demand have been unveiled.

University Station in Birmingham was designed for 400,000 passengers a year when it opened in the 1970s.

But the growth of the University of Birmingham and neighbouring Queen Elizabeth Hospital mean it now serves 3.3 million people.

Those behind the plans said they hope it will create better conditions for rail users.

New proposals, hoped to be completed in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the city, would see it it accommodate 7.2 million people each year.

The plans are being led by Transport for West Midlands, and are to be funded by a consortium that includes the Department for Transport, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, Birmingham City Council and the university.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, said: "[The station] is overcrowded, it is not the best arrival to the university or hospital, so this is about better conditions for passengers and then a really dramatic entrance on to the university campus."

The university will host hockey and squash for the Games, and its vice-chancellor Sir David Eastwood said it was "critical" it had a modern station.

The designs are being finalised and will be published for public consultation later this summer.

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