Next station arriving at Longbridge

40 years seems to be the average lifespan for many Birmingham buildings before regeneration or more often demolition beckons.  The latest building to nearly reach this milestone is Longbridge Railway station which faces redevelopment under plans submitted by Network Rail.

A planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the station, 2016/06447/PA, replacing the 1978 station built for the creation of the Cross City line linking Longbridge to Four Oaks.  The line was the amalgamation of several railways routes being sanctioned in May 1975 and being launched on 8th May 1978, http://railwaymaniac.com/2016/03/birmingham-cross-city-line-extension-proposal/.  The creation of the north south line saw the reopening of Five Ways station which had been closed in the 1940s and new stations to serve the University of Birmingham and Longbridge.  The new Longbridge station replaced a station that served a line into Old Hill.

The Longbridge station design will be familar to anyone who uses the Cross City line with the stations at the University of Birmingham and Five Ways in the same style.

The photo below shows the current station.

The image below, reproduced from the planning application 2016/06447/PA shows the proposed new station design.