page_title: Birmingham Curzon Street railway station (1838–1966)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Birmingham Curzon Street railway station (1838–1966) / History
caption_attribution_description: London and Birmingham Railway platforms at Curzon Street station.
context_page_description: Birmingham Curzon Street railway station was a railway station in central Birmingham, England, opening in 1838 and closed to passengers in 1893 but remaining open for goods until 1966. The station was used by scheduled passenger trains between 1838 and 1854 when it was the terminus for both the London and Birmingham Railway and the Grand Junction Railway, with lines to London, Manchester and Liverpool respectively. Excursion trains ran until 1893 after which only goods trains operated until closure in 1966. More recently, the surviving Grade I listed entrance building was used for occasional art events.
  In 2010, a new station, partly on the site of the historical Curzon Street station, was proposed as the Birmingham terminus for High Speed 2. In 2017 plans were approved to redevelop the remaining Grade 1 listed building to turn it into a visitor centre and office space for HS2 and other organisations. HS2 hopes to use the station as the hub for its high-speed line linking London and Birmingham – although these plans are still being developed.
context_section_description: The station, originally known as 'Birmingham' station was opened on 24 June 1838, with the first train from London to Birmingham arriving on 17 September. It was the terminus for both the London and Birmingham Railway and the Grand Junction Railway and the companies had adjacent, parallel platforms but there were no through trains.
  The Grand Junction Railway arrived at Curzon Street in 1839. Although the line had opened in 1837, one year before the London and Birmingham Railway, it originally ran to a temporary terminus at Vauxhall. A viaduct had to be constructed to allow the line to reach Curzon Street. The smaller Lawley Street station, terminus of the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway (a forerunner of the Midland Railway) was later opened a short distance to the east.
  Behind the main entrance building, the L&B station had a wrought iron framed trainshed which had two spans, and covered an area 217 feet (66 metres) long and 113 feet (34 metres) wide. It had two platforms, one for departures and one for arrivals. The Grand Junction Railway had parallel departure and arrivals platforms and a separate entrance building and booking office (now demolished) further along Curzon Street, designed by Joseph Franklin.
  Its use as a major passenger station was short lived. It was inconveniently located on the eastern edge of Birmingham city centre, and the station's facilities soon became overwhelmed by the growing traffic. Following the merging of the L&B and Grand Junction railways into the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) in 1846, work started on the new and more conveniently located 'Grand Central' station, which would become known as Birmingham New Street half a mile to the west. shared with the Midland Railway, New Street was completed in 1854. Most passenger services were diverted to the new station the same year.
  The name of the station had been changed from 'Birmingham' to 'Birmingham Curzon Street' in November 1852. Part of the overall site (at the corner of New Canal Street and Banbury Street) was modified in 1874 and used from that Easter as an 'excursion station' (to relieve New Street at peak times such as holidays or fair days), used notably by public holiday excursion services to Sutton Coldfield, until Easter 1893  (the 1838 platforms were not so used). The main site continued in use as a goods station until 1966. The platforms, along with the original trainsheds were demolished the same year. The site was then used as a Parcelforce depot until May 2006.
caption: 1838 drawing of the rear of the station's platforms while in operation.
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