Middlesbrough station overhaul moves on
Structures for the £35m transformation project are taking shape, with a 200-tonne crane engaged to lift in steel for the scheme.
The next phase of the project includes work on the station undercroft, new walkways and spaces for businesses, and capacity work to support increased rail services.
Steel from British Steel is being lifted in for the overhaul – with Middlesbrough-based CB Construction (Cleveland) Ltd overseeing the fabrication.
In all, around 40 tonnes of steel, mainly beams and columns, are being used, and will form part of the ticket hall, new staircase, wall structures and undercroft.
This second part of the scheme being carried out by Story Contracting on behalf of Network Rail is seeing the current ticket hall stairs removed, a new staircase built off the central thoroughfare, open public space at the east end of the former car park, and a new pedestrian walkway created between Zetland Road at the south of the station and the existing subway.
Transport sector design services specialist Systra is advising on the project.
An extension to the existing Platform 2 to cater for inter-city rail services and a new Platform 3 to accommodate the planned increase in passenger rail services in the coming years are all part of the huge revamp.
Middlesbrough is not the only location in the region looking to modernise its railway station: Tees Valley Combined Authority has selcted Willmott Dixon to deliver a £30m station gateway at Darlington as part of a wider £140m masterplan, while Sunderland station has also undergone a £26m improvement programme.
British Steel has supplied the materials. Credit: TVCA
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Making a new gateway for Middlesbrough has been sorely needed for years and I’m immensely proud of the progress we’re all making in getting the town the station it has long deserved.
“I’m delighted that all the structural steel for the site has come from British Steel – it’s a big endorsement of what we do best. It’s also great to see a Boro firm in CB Construction at the heart of the project – with more jobs on Teesside being supported.
“We’re all pushing in the same direction in Middlesbrough when it comes to making the new Development Corporation a success and the station is another yet another piece in this vital jigsaw.”
Cllr Theo Furness, Middlesbrough Council’s executive member for regeneration, said: “Middlesbrough Station is the focal point of the town’s Historic Quarter, so it’s fantastic to see this important project reach a major milestone.
“This is one of the key gateways to the town and will form a vital first impression for those arriving here by train.
“We also have a long and proud history of steel making along this part of the river, and it’s great that we are using British-made steel within the construction. I’m also delighted that local firms and workers are right at the heart of the scheme.”
A series of planning applications, including listed building consents, set the project in motion in recent years, with demolition works carried out in the undercroft, with a new steel frame and concrete slab structure introduced to underpin the station’s future.
Middlesbrough’s station project is set to be completed next year.
