Work can now start on integrating one of the world's oldest surviving pieces of railway architecture into HS2 after a new lease deal was signed.
The team behind the high-speed rail project has struck a long-lease agreement with Birmingham City Council for the former Curzon Street station which will form a key part of the new HS2 station site.
The 12-month refurbishment will be undertaken by infrastructure specialists KN Network Services and will include a new steel structural frame to strengthen the building, lifts to all four levels, a glass balustrade for the historic staircase, internal fit-out, roof repairs and structural repairs to the external masonry.
The public space surrounding the station will feature the historic track alignments of the former goods yard that used to lie to its east and the gardens and new eastern concourse façade have also been designed to complement the architecture of the building.
Curzon Street station opened in 1838 and was intended to be the boardroom and general offices of the London and Birmingham Railway.
But it was extended to incorporate a hotel by 1841, then turned into a goods station for freight traffic between 1854 and 1860 and subsequently closed on New Year's Eve 1965.
Having suffered extensive damage during the Birmingham Blitz and surviving two applications for its demolition in the 1970s, it is now listed on the Heritage at Risk register maintained by Historic England.
Future plans for the site include it being used as a HS2 visitor centre, with flexible facilities for offices, exhibition purposes and catering.
Nicola Henderson-Reid, HS2's Curzon Street station senior project manager, said: "We're extremely pleased to get the go-ahead to start work on restoring this fabulous old building and we're grateful to Birmingham City Council for their help in developing these designs.
"Curzon Street station will be the first brand new intercity terminus station built in Britain since the 19th century and will play a vital role in our regional economy while preserving this important piece of Birmingham's history."
Plans for the new HS2 station in Curzon Street were approved in April.
It is one of four stations being built to serve passengers on phase one of the high-speed line between London and Birmingham and there is due to be nine trains per hour running in each direction from the station.
Birmingham City Council leader Cllr Ian Ward added: "This is an important milestone in the transformation of this amazing old building and the new Curzon Street station will be one of the real show pieces of the entire HS2 network.
"High-speed rail is a game-changer for Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, bringing jobs, homes and opportunities to our city region."
