Colmore BID launches campaign to adopt Snow Hill Train Station

Colmore BID has begun a search for local volunteers as it embarks on its exciting journey with West Midlands Railway to adopt Snow Hill Station.

The BID is looking for volunteers to join a new Community Station Partnership that will spearhead the adoption of Snow Hill Station, leading on a community programme that will bring local character, interesting installations, gardening and arts to appeal to visitors and passengers.  ‘Adopted’ stations have a renewed sense of localism that make stations increasingly welcoming to visitors, relevant to the locality, engaging for passengers and supportive of the local economy and environment.

Station enhancements will include the installation of garden planters, community arts, poetry boards and many other ideas generated by the community group.

Snow Hill Station sees an average of 5.5million passengers pass through its turnstiles every year (pre-covid) and with the Commonwealth Games heading to the city next year, this figure is set to significantly increase.

One of Birmingham’s three main city centre stations, Snow Hill Station opened over 160 years ago in 1852. It features three platforms as well as a terminus for West Midlands Metro Trams. The station provides mainly local services, serving Worcester, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Stratford-Upon-Avon and Solihull. It also provides a service to London Marylebone.

Michele Wilby, CEO of Colmore BID said: “The past 16 months and the effects of the pandemic have seen the structure of travel change as Lockdown restrictions meant only key workers could use public transport and the gradual re-opening of society is bringing passengers slowly back to trains and buses in the city.  With the opportunities for domestic tourism and a surging local economy, the city centre is well placed to grow a thriving visitor economy as well as support the business sector as it returns to central Birmingham.

The BID is delighted to be working with West Midlands Railway to help welcome passengers back to Birmingham and bring new visitors to the heart of Britain’s second city.

“The Station adoption scheme is a fantastic way to bring local character and community involvement to the busy transport hub.  We are delighted to be working with the Train Operating Company and local community leads to help us bring ‘people spirit’ back into the city and we look forward to starting work on this new programme. I can’t wait to see the ideas that our city volunteers develop.”

The Snow Hill Station Adoption team will join The Shakespeare Line Community Station Partnership (CSP), the first Partnership of its kind in the country, a not-for-profit volunteer led collective of station adopters named ‘Friends of the Shakespeare Line’. The Shakespeare line runs from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford upon Avon, spanning 20 stations from market towns to inner city hubs with a membership of a hundred community spirited volunteers who work together to enhance their stations along the route and both the train operators and passengers delight in the visible results of their work.

If you are keen to find out more about joining Colmore BID’s Friends of Snow Hill Station forum, please contact Chris Brown at chris.brown@colmorebid.co.uk to express your interest.