High Speed 2

The West Midlands’ connectivity and economic landscape are being transformed by High Speed 2 (HS2).

The UK’s new high-speed rail network, and Europe’s largest infrastructure project, will increase capacity and bring people and goods to and from London within 38 minutes.

Phase One London – West Midlands is due to open between 2029 and 2033. Further phases will see major UK cities like Manchester and Leeds all be within an hour of our region.

More capacity

Rail travel in the UK has doubled over the last 20 years. HS2 frees up a massive amount of space on the existing railway by placing long distance services on their own pair of tracks.

Once HS2 is operating, services will help reduce over-crowding in peak times, offering your employees and customers a better service and experience on local rail services.

Curzon Street station escalators and atrium. CGI.

Less carbon

From day one, zero carbon energy will power all of HS2’s trains, which will become net zero by 2035.

So for you and your employees, it’ll mean you can enjoy zero carbon high-speed travel and a cleaner alternative to long distance car journeys and domestic flights.

Better connectivity

For businesses in the West Midlands, HS2 brings opportunities for businesses to connect and facilitate increased trade and specialisation.

You’ll experience even quicker rail connections to London’s Heathrow Airport and continental Europe, and regional hubs in the north of England and Scotland from Birmingham.

Birmingham Curzon Street Station

HS2 will build four new stations as part of the construction of the route between London and the West Midlands, two of which will be in Birmingham and Solihull.

The new Birmingham Curzon Street Station will open with seven high-speed platforms and be one of the most environmentally-friendly stations globally. Located on the edge of Birmingham City Centre, it will give people more choice on where they live, work and play in the Birmingham and surrounding areas:

The Midland Metro runs alongside and underneath the station
Accessible pedestrian routes lead to local bus services
Sprint rapid transit bus services and other train services

Solihull Interchange Station

Solihull’s new Interchange Station, near to Birmingham International Airport, will have links to local roads and the UK motorway network, cementing the region as one of the best-connected places in the UK.

Not only will the Interchange Station link to Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Airport via an Automated People Mover (APM), the APM will also link to the NEC – the UK’s most significant event space.