The University Station in Birmingham is set to be upgraded in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games ©Wikipedia

A railway station near to the University of Birmingham, the venue hosting hockey and squash at the 2022 Commonwealth Games is set to be upgraded ahead of the event.

The University Station is set to benefit from an upgrade so it can cater for up to seven million passengers per year.

Plans to improve the station were given approval by Birmingham City Council's Planning Committee last week.

The station was designed in the 1970s to handle 400,000 passengers a year, but now is used by around 3.3 million passengers a year, as reported by the Express and Star.

As part of the improvements, due to be completed ahead of the Games, scheduled from July 28 to August 8 2022, a new station building and footbridge will be created with improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.

The University Station, which serves the University of Birmingham, is being upgraded ahead of the city hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and will include a new footbridge over the Worcester and Birmingham Canal ©University of Birmingham
The University Station, which serves the University of Birmingham, is being upgraded ahead of the city hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and will include a new footbridge over the Worcester and Birmingham Canal ©University of Birmingham

The plans also include upgrades to amenities, platforms and waiting rooms.

Access to the University of Birmingham, the hockey and squash venue, is set to be via a new footbridge being installed over the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street claimed development at the railway station "could not come soon enough".

"For the many thousands of people who regularly use the station this redevelopment cannot come soon enough," Street added.

"We have worked closely with our project partners to develop plans of which we are all proud of and it is fantastic that the city’s planning committee has backed our vision."