Midland MPs have called on the Government to commit funds to the redevelopment of New Street station. Yesterday, the team tasked with putting together the final design and commercial package for a £350 million revamp of Birmingham's rail hub was revealed. Lead consultants WSP Group and architects McAslan and Partners and Chapman Taylor will now take the scheme to the point where work can begin at the end of this year or early in 2006. MPs welcomed the announcement but urged Transport Secretary Alistair Darling to ensure enough funding was available. Birmingham City Council and the regional development agency Advantage West Midlands are looking to provide around £100 million each. Transport executive Centro and station owners Network Rail are also making contributions. But MPs called on NR to provide the extra funding that was still needed and asked Mr Darling to ensure the money was approved by the Rail Regulator. The plea was made in a House of Commons motion sponsored by Richard Burden (Lab Northfield) and signed by ten other MPs. They said they "call upon the Secretary of State to encourage the Regulator to allow Network Rail to fund the balance of this enhancement of the network". The MPs also said they "note the importance for the regeneration of Birmingham and the West Midlands of the creation of a new gateway station for central Birmingham." The praised the decision to develop a "21st century station that will enhance the city's skyline". The motion was signed by Lynne Jones (Lab Selly Oak), Gisela Stuart (Lab Edgbaston), Steve McCabe (Lab Hall Green), SiÙn Simon (Lab Erdington), Peter Luff (Con Mid Worcestershire), David Kidney (Lab Stafford), Paul Marsden (Lib Dem Shrewsbury and Atcham), Bill Olner ( Lab Nuneaton), Dennis Turner (Lab Wolverhampton South East) and Tony Wright (Lab Cannock Chase). On Wednesday, Mr Darling welcomed the prospect of a new station and warned that the existing facilities were not up to the job. Speaking in the House of Commons, he said: "Anyone who is familiar with Birmingham New Street station will realise that it needs to be improved. "It is not an especially good gateway to Birmingham and the Midlands, and it suffers from terrible overcrowding, which sometimes means that it must be closed. "Some £250 million has been put forward by various backers in the West Midlands and I hope that we can come forward with a workable and affordable plan for Birmingham New Street." | 
