Businesses in Kings Heath say the long-awaited railway station nears completion will give their area a big boost.
Transport for West Midlands officials say the construction of the Camp Hill Line stations at Kings Heath, Moseley, and Pineapple Road is progressing smoothly and is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.
The idea of a new railway station in Kings Heath, located near the High Street, has been in the works for almost 10 years. However, the project has faced numerous delays, initially being pushed back from its original 2023 completion date and then again as costs soared.
Local residents and business owners are eager to see the benefits the new station will bring, including increased foot traffic and relief from congestion on the busy main road.
Matt Powell, the manager of Enjoy Kings Heath BID, said: “We’re excited to see it nearing completion.
“We are looking forward to the benefits it will bring to Kings Heath High Street.”
“Whilst there have been delays, it’s a project which has been talked about for 10 years and we haven’t had a station here for 70 so ultimately most people – businesses included – think it can only be a good thing for the High Street.
“I think the opportunity for us is getting more people here more easily from other parts of the city.”
However, the roadworks and lane closures required to complete the project have led to some inconvenience for local commuters. Mr Powell said: “Obviously we understand you can’t complete a project of this scale without causing some knock on challenges which we’re working with our businesses to try to communicate back to them as much as possible.
“It’s been a challenge. But at the same time, you can’t have an omelette without cracking eggs so we’ve got to go through this if we want a new station. We’re looking forward to it opening.”
Joe Fearn, 39, who runs Circus Mash, said: “It’s exciting. I’ve grown up in Kings Heath and I live here and there’s not been a train station.
“I run a circus company and we provide classes for young people and circuses are not really accessible around the West Midlands so there’s a lot of people who contact us from far but can’t really come to evening classes.
“What the train station will provide is the accessibility to widen the circus for the Midlands community. People want to get involved in this and there is a big demand for this now.
“There is a disconnect. It is a busy High Street. There is the 50 bus route which runs from Druids Heath. But our closest train station is Kings Norton which is a bus ride away anyway. This now connects everything.”
Claire Rinet, who operates CDC Dance Ltd on the High Street, said: “As well as being a Kings Heath business owner, I have lived here for 20 years.
“The area has changed massively in that time, certainly in terms of the growth of the High Street and the variety of businesses we have here.
“Having a train station is going to attract more businesses and greater footfall as a result.
An artist’s impression of the new Kings Heath Station on Birmingham’s Camp Hill line (Image: WMCA)“The key benefit for me personally is (for) my own daughters. They are at a specialist art school which is over by Millennium Point.
“To be able to get a train straight into the city centre will be revolutionary for them and their school journey.
“That’s also the key benefit for my business. I lose kids purely because they can’t get back here.
“I rarely use my car – I have got one but only use it when I’m going outside of Birmingham but once we have the station I’ll be able to get the train.”
