logo
New UK train station to be first of it's kind in 130 years gets green light for upgraded plans as works set to start this year

New UK train station to be first of it's kind in 130 years gets green light for upgraded plans as works set to start this year

The Irish Sun08-05-2025
REVISED plans for a major new high-speed train station in the UK have been given the green light.
Birmingham's
set to open as part of the
rail network
and will be the first mainline terminus to be built since London Marylebone in 1899.
4
Revised plans for Curzon Street Station have been approved
Credit: HS2.org
4
Customers will be able to travel from the station to London in 49 minutes
Credit: :HS2.org
4
Work on the station is set to begin this year
Credit: HS2.org
The new £460 million build will have seven platforms and a curved roof, inspired by Victorian station designs.
It will also have four public spaces outside, featuring gardens and a promenade.
Revised plans included a change in material for the station roof - from timber to aluminium - due to updated fire regulations.
The eastern concourse of the vast station had also been re-planned.
Read more HS2 stories
Councillor Gareth Moore said: "HS2 offers tremendous
benefits
to Birmingham which we, as a city, should very much welcome.
'To unlock those benefits, we need a station so this application is crucial.'
Plans for the build include a 'Station Square,' kitted out with a green space, while Curzon Square will provide an area for outdoor events.
The station will also feature Curzon Promenade - a cycle and walking paths that links the station to the Eastside City Park while Paternoster Place will have paths and "urban space".
Most read in News Travel
Trains are not expected to run from the station until the mid 2030s, but tours of the current construction may be allowed sooner.
The final build is designed to be completely net zero and will run trains that get to central London in just 49 minutes.
Huddersfield Station Closure: £70 Million Revamp Set to Transform Travel
The new station has been pitched by officials as a "world class 21st century landmark building'.
And council docs say it will contribute to 'maximising the regeneration and development potential' of HS2 in Birmingham.
Construction work for the foundations of the station began in January 2024, with the station itself set to begin being built this year.
The station is set to be finished by 2028 but a "reset" of the HS2 programme has led to delays.
HS2 CEO Mark Wild said recently: 'This is of a scale never done before – the last mainline terminus we built was 1899 in Marylebone.
'Truth is also the construction has been harder than we would have thought so we've lost ground in construction.
'So a combination of factors of getting a little bit behind and also the complexity to come means we need to reset the programme.'
What is HS2?
HS2, which stands for High Speed 2, is a project that aims to create a high-speed rail network between London and major cities in the Midlands and Northern England.
It is the biggest rail investment ever made in the North of England and is Europe's largest infrastructure project.
New trains will run on HS2 lines with a top speed of 225 miles per hour - the aim is to cut journey times and make it easier to travel across England.
Last year, then-PM
It is now hoped that the train will run to Euston despite dears this route would also be scrapped.
Another huge HS2 station
The station is set to cost £2 billion and will be the 'most connected in the country'.
4
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The Georgian townhouse that is now a boutique hotel right by a Cornish harbour
The Georgian townhouse that is now a boutique hotel right by a Cornish harbour

The Irish Sun

time8 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

The Georgian townhouse that is now a boutique hotel right by a Cornish harbour

THE Chapel House is beautifully quaint hotel in the town of Penzance and perfectly located to explore the Cornish coast. Read on to find out about the great food options - especially the homemade smoothies. 2 The Chapel House is a great spot for tourists exploring Penzance Credit: Supplied Where is the hotel? In the heart of the historic, market town of Penzance in Cornwall, it is just off the A30. There is free street parking and public parking. However, if you fancy a suite, each has its own parking space. To the town, there is a main railway service from London Paddington and 10 minute taxi from there. What is the hotel like? A stone's throw from Penzance harbour, this red-brick Georgian townhouse has been lovingly transformed into a boutique hotel. Everything is impressive - from the huge hallway and sweeping staircase to the comfortable communal sitting room. What is there to do at the hotel? The hotel has a tiny secret back garden, home to a sauna and hot tub from where you can look out to sea. Just blissful. You can book a What is there to eat and drink at the hotel? The breakfast/brunch spread is delightful – home-made smoothies, poached egg and samphire, West Cornwall specialities. Most read in News Travel Although we popped out for dinner at The Old Coastguard in Mousehole where we had great food mainly consisting of fresh fish, the restaurant is worth a try with locally-sourced ingredients and a delicious menu. What are the rooms like? Rooms are from £200 per night and suites from £300 - All six rooms have sea views, and on a clear day, you can see as far as Lizard Point – the in-bedroom bath offered a great view of the harbour, plus the well-placed binoculars on our bedroom's windowsill. Our room had a contemporary vibe - white walls and furnishings with brightly coloured accessories and lots of luxe touches including soft throws and organic toiletries. Is the hotel family-friendly? They provide cots and a charge of £25 per night including breakfast for children ages 5-16. If you are a larger family they can accommodate a 'whole floor' let. Is there access for guests with disabilities? You would need to contact the hotel. Looking for a place to stay? For more hotel inspiration click here. 2 Rooms start from £200 a night Credit: Supplied

I used AI to find me a cheap holiday – ChatGPT scored me seven nights in Spain with flights for £99 each
I used AI to find me a cheap holiday – ChatGPT scored me seven nights in Spain with flights for £99 each

The Irish Sun

time13 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

I used AI to find me a cheap holiday – ChatGPT scored me seven nights in Spain with flights for £99 each

LOOKING for holiday packages can often seriously take the fun out of booking holidays - but AI can help save you time and money. Trawling website after website to find different 8 Start by asking ChatGPT what package holidays you want it to find Credit: Cyann Fielding So why not just cut out the middle man? ChatGPT can search thousands of sites, simultaneously and give you an answer in seconds. So I decided to put the The key with ChatGPT is to give clear instructions. Read more on travel deals And the best way to do this is to think about what you want from a holiday. Personally, I think it works best when you are flexible on when you go and where you will be going. So I asked the AI bot: "Find me the cheapest package holidays for two adults and two children under 12 years old in Europe in the next 60 days. Flights and hotel must be included." Initially, the bot gave me a few suggestions totalling around £1,000 each. Most read in News Travel I knew it could do better, so I added: "They need to be under £1,000." Not only did the result give me options for different places for under £1,000 for a family of four, I was also given some tips. 3 tips to help you get the cheapest flights when booking holidays 8 ChatGPT will add live URL links when prompted, with what to specifically search on each holiday platform Credit: cyann fielding For example, I was told that I then asked: "Can you add the live URL links." This prompt means that ChatGPT linked me straight to the sites where it was finding these deals and precisely how to find them on these sites. I was immediately impressed by the list as it was full of reputable holiday companies including Going through to the Thomas Cook site, I added the filters suggest - ' Turkey ' for destination, left the flights from 'anywhere' and the dates 'anytime', added two adults and two children under 12, and simply pressed search. 8 Once you go through to the different site, add the filters that ChatGPT suggests and sort by 'Price: low to high' Credit: cyann fielding The results were shocking. Admittedly, there are some flaws with the process – like I was suggested holidays beyond 60 days but it managed to find some within that time frame as little as £112 per person. For example, I selected the Sincerity Apart Hotel in The holiday would be from September 22 to September 30 and for £112 per person departing from London Luton with While the hotel itself might be basic, it still had a garden, lounge area, children's playground and outdoor pool . 8 One of the cheap packages, was seven nights in Turkey for £118 per person at the Leda Beach Hotel Credit: Thomas Cook Plus, the reviews from previous guests were good. After the added cost of ATOL protection (£10), I could book my seven-night holiday for £448 for the entire family. The only other hidden cost is luggage – whilst the fee includes a small bag, it doesn't include a When you search, if the cheapest option isn't your favourite - there will most likely be other options. For example, with my search, 31 different hotels appeared for under £150 per person. And other options, like Leda Beach Hotel in the Antalya Region also include 8 The Leda Beach Hotel is located just four minutes from the beach Credit: Thomas Cook This spot was also only a four-minute walk from the nearest beach, just seven miles from Aquapark and less than a mile from the city of Manavgat. Don't want to head to Turkey? Then that's fine, there are other options. Using Love Holidays, I added my filters and this time left the destination completely blank. I then filtered from low to high prices, and up came my options. Near the top, a seven-day holiday to Costa Dorada, Spain came up for October 4 to 11 flying from If you want to add checked luggage then it will be an additional £36.49 per bag, per journey. However, included in the price you do get a 15kg underseat bag, per person. 8 Alternatively, with Love Holidays yo could head to Colina da Lapa and Villas in Algarve, Portugal Credit: Love Holidays 8 The seven night break would cost just £119 per person Credit: Love Holidays Or how about Portugal? For seven nights, you could head to Colina da Lapa and Villas in Algarve between December 13 to 20 with Ryanair for £119 per person. So here is the full run-down on what to ask ChatGPT to get offers like these. How to use ChatGPT to find you a cheap holiday Firstly, ask ChatGPT: "Find me affordable package holidays in Europe, in the next 60 days, for two adults and two children aged under 12 years old. They must include Once the answers have loaded, select the one you are most interested and click on the blue hyperlink. This should open a new tab. Once in the tab, make sure to add in the filters ChatGPT has suggested depending on what it suggests for the specific site you have selected. Then change the 'sort by' option to 'Price: low to high' and you're all set to explore your Cheap holiday essentials IF you're jetting abroad this summer, here are the cheap holiday essentials you won't want to miss. PACKING CUBES: They're TAG TRACKER: There's nothing worse than loosing your luggage, but thanks to this handy KIDS' CABIN BAG: Don't worry if you can't afford to splash the cash on a Trunki, as HAND LUGGAGE CASE: For those that are opting to go hand luggage instead of paying a fortune for a check-in bag, These are the UK's best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks, B&Bs and pubs from just £22 a night. Plus, 8 Depending on what you requirements are, you can add in additional filters Credit: Thomas Cook

Farmgate restaurant delighted by 'great and unexpected' inclusion in Michelin Guide
Farmgate restaurant delighted by 'great and unexpected' inclusion in Michelin Guide

Irish Examiner

time14 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Farmgate restaurant delighted by 'great and unexpected' inclusion in Michelin Guide

The remarkable resurrection of Sally O'Brien's Farmgate restaurant in Lismore, Co Waterford continues apace with news that the restaurant has just been selected for inclusion in the prestigious Michelin Guide. The restaurant that 'came back from the dead' was forced to re-open last year in a new location. 'It's such a great honour,' said O'Brien, 'to be recognised by Michelin — and very unexpected, we only opened 13 months ago and it's great for the team's morale, in particular, for the kitchen team, a recognition of the beautiful food they are cooking each day.' Less than two years ago, O'Brien was being advised to seek an alternative career after the catastrophic flooding of Midleton, in East Cork, damaged the Farmgate Midleton restaurant established by her mother, Máróg O'Brien, so badly that the restaurant was forced to close permanently almost 40 years after it first opened in 1984. 'We thought it was all over after the flooding,' said Sally O'Brien, 'and that's the truth, the building was unusable. Everyone told me to go off and retrain for another career, something else for an easier life, especially because the restaurant industry is in such a state, so this is really encouraging.' Máróg O'Brien, who also co-founded the Farmgate Café, in the English Market, with her sister, Kay, had bought an old Victorian building in Lismore, in 2017, previously home to The Chop House restaurant, and before that, for many generations, a pub, but it was only during the pandemic that she and daughter Sally set about a serious renovation and refurbishment of a building that had been idle for several years. Sally O'Brien cleaning up at the Farmgate restaurant in Midleton in October 2023. Picture: Dan Linehan Sally O'Brien, who had managed the Midleton Farmgate for many years, opened Farmgate Lismore just 13 months ago and it wasn't long before it began to attract attention and acclaim, with reviews in national newspapers, including a very positive one in the Irish Examiner by this writer, praising both the exceptional refurbishment of a very lovely building and garden and a high standard of delivery from the kitchen to match. The Michelin Guide also singled out the refurbishment and noted the "sensibly priced menu" of "fuss-free cooking and prime, locally sourced produce" used to create "terrific dishes with a certain comfort-food quality", and also noted the "knowledgable service" carried out with "engaging charm". 'The Michelin Guide beautifully captures the experience we hope all diners will have here,' said Sally O'Brien, 'It's been very tough to try and get up and running from scratch all over again in Lismore, and it's a very difficult time for the industry at large, so it is very encouraging to be included in the guide.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store