The elegant sleek low arch design is retained but fire safety concerns and more cost-effective maintenance has seen copper-coloured aluminium replace the timber first conceived by lead architect Grimshaw.

MD joint venture, working with their design partners Arcadis and WSP along with Grimshaw, have now revealed the proposed design refinements, that will be submitted for approval to Birmingham City Council later this year.

HS2 said: “Further development of the materials being used will also improve construction efficiency, future-proof the station and minimise maintenance requirements over its 120-year life span.”

New interior showing profiled aluminium panels

Under the detailed plans, the station will be fitted with additional cycle parking, better accessibility, more seating spaces and simplified access between platforms.

Improvements to the station’s arrival areas include a redesign of the southern entrance of the Eastern Concourse to make it more prominent, strengthening the arrival experience and providing better links with Digbeth.

Major earthworks have already started on the construction site, preparing for foundation work to get underway this Autumn and building work on the main station structure to start next year.

The internal fit-out of the station will start towards the end of 2025 and finish at the end of 2028.

Grimshaw Partner Neven Sidor, in charge of the architectural design said: “Any design for a major and complex public building needs to negotiate a journey from preliminary concept in the minds of a team of engineers and architects to a much more detailed set of technical drawings embraced by the teams of contractors that will build it.

“We are therefore pleased to announce that the original design vision has not only been maintained but has also been enhanced through the detailed design process. It is more robust, more efficient to build, and just as elegant.”