11.05.18
Wolverhampton subway closed as station gears up for £130m makeover
Wolverhampton station’s pedestrian subway will be closed later this month for over a year as part of plans to develop a new station building.
Plans to demolish the current station and build a new one adjacent to it will commence in two stages starting from 20 May and will be completed in summer next year. When this is finished, the second phase of the works will begin.
Rail services will operate as normal throughout, and a temporary diversion route will be put in place for customer wanting to access the station via Wednesfield Road.
The subway revamp forms part of £150m City of Wolverhampton interchange improvements scheme, with £132m being invested in the station’s transformation – which will be completed in 2020.
The British Transport Police (BTP) building and a section of the current station building next to platform 1 will be demolished in the start of early July, paving the way for the first section of the new station building to be erected.
Councillor John Reynolds, cabinet member for city economy at Wolverhampton City Council, said the closure of the pedestrian subway is “essential” to enable the demolition process to begin.
“The aim is to deliver a railway station befitting of the city – it is the next stage in delivering a £150m transport hub to provide an attractive commercial gateway to those entering the city by national rail, bus or tram,” he added.
“As part of this regeneration it is crucial visitors to our city get the best first impression possible and their travel experience is enhanced – the new state-of-the-art station will deliver that.”
Richard Brooks, customer experience director at West Midlands Railway, which recently took charge of the local station, said: “The work planned as part of the Wolverhampton Interchange project is going to transform public transport in the city, with new station facilities and better connections to the rest of the region at its heart.
“We're creating a railway that the West Midlands can be proud of and can call its own. The redevelopment of the station shows the important role railways play in supporting the economic wellbeing of our region.”
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