Posted 18th March 2010 | 9 Comments
Midland Metro extension will take trams to New Street
THE Department for Transport has signalled a major development for Midland Metro, the tram line which currently links Wolverhampton and Snow Hill station in Birmingham. ‘Initial funding approval’ has been announced for an extension of the line through Birmingham city centre to New Street station.
The news was given by transport minister Chris Mole at Snow Hill station on Thursday afternoon. Approval of the £127.1 million scheme means that trams will run once again through the centre of Birmingham, having last done so in 1953.
The extension is the first part of an original Centro plan to take trams beyond the city centre to Five Ways, but recent announcements about the building of a High Speed station at Curzon Street could cause a rethink about a possible future route beyond New Street station.
Chris Mole said the Government would contribute up to £81 million, provided that Centro carries out some work in ‘the shorter term’.
He added: “This is good news for the people of the West Midlands. An efficient and reliable transport system is critical to any city. That is why we’re investing significant amounts of money in infrastructure in towns and cities across the country. Not only will this scheme help to support the ongoing regeneration in central Birmingham it will also benefit the wider West Midlands region.”
The announcement has been welcomed by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive, Centro.
Centro chief executive Geoff Inskip said: “We’re very keen to start work so we can bring the massive benefits of Midland Metro tram system through the city to residents and visitors to the West Midlands - transforming public transport in Birmingham and helping to create an even more attractive, modern and vibrant environment in the city centre. We will continue our close working with the Department for Transport so we can finalise the funding. We look forward to the Government’s support to achieve this in the very near future.”
Centro said there were also plans for a replacement fleet of modern trams, and a new depot at Wednesbury.
The extension will follow a route from the existing Metro terminus at Snow Hill along a £9 million viaduct already built by developer Ballymore, down Upper Bull Street and Corporation Street and on to Stephenson Street, stopping outside a new entrance at New Street station.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
Geoff Lewis, Wolverhampton, West Mids
There was an excellent bus service called the Station Link which was discontinued a few years ago, which would take people from the Metro at Snow Hill to New Street. Why was this stopped, probably funding withdrawn. Bring this bus back and Birmingham does not need the Metro extension.
Will, Birmingham
The extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham City Centre is crucial to Birmingham surviving as a tourist destination. Manchester has had its tram system since 1990 yet Birmingham in 2010, 20 years later has still no tram system to permit fast travel for residents and tourists across its city.
Nottingham and Sheffield also have tram systems that are well used and Birmingham is supposedly the 2nd city.
We need to crack on getting our tram system running both to Five Ways and Curzon Street. The more the delay the more the city is losing billions of bounds in lost tourism income as tourists choose other UK cities for the short or long breaks.
Ben, Birmingham, UK
A total waste! How can a £127 million investement be justified when its just extending a few metres of track into the centre. Its virtually in the centre anyways! I totally agree with Vladimir that it will dump buses to the edge of the city centre, another one of Mike Whitby poor decisions.
Urs Mattmann, London, UK
The original tram route is half-baked, a tram route that does not reach the city centre but stops at the edge is a contradiction. So why did it take so long to do the obvious and get trams where they need go, into the centre of the cities though a further extension would have been even better. Why so many false starts? It's scandal that a metropolitan area in the size of the West Midlands did not manage to build a single mile of new rail route since 2000. There are more light rail routes planned, but why do those locals in power not make a stronger case for expansion? Why not organise protests against the DfT anti-light rail policy? Have a look that the urban rail system maps of other metropolitan areas of a comparable size in Europe (e.g. Frankfurt, Cologne, Lyon, Zuerich, Milano) At least Manchester in the UK seems now to have the chance it will get the urban rail system it needs. How long will it take Birmingham to follow?
Jamie, Birmingham
I use these trams every single day to get to work in Birmingham from Wednesbury and they are a god send! It cuts the journey time down by 30mins and is far cheaper than getting the train! I don't understand why people think this is a joke? Surely Birmingham needs to catch up with other cities in the UK and provide an extensive travel network into and out of Birmingham?? Manchester have proven that you can have trams and buses on the same roads and stop at the same stops so why not Birmingham? As for focusing on buses (?????) there are plenty of buses and the buses are brand new and run all hours of the day! Maybe some people still live in the dark ages and don't like change!
Bradley Vice, London
It is a joke. They should rip up the 'tram' tracks and relay heavy rail to Wolverhampton through Wednesbury, with connecting chords to the Stourbridge - Walsall route at Wednesbury, creating a much more integrated transport network across the West Midlands.
David Spencer, Bolton, Lancashire, UK
I feel that the extension is very welcome news for Birmingham and the introduction of trams to Corporation Street will finally induce discipline to the traffic and buses. Trams help to return a human element to a city centre which since the 1960s has been missing so much in Birmingham. I do hope also that the next extension is reconsidered away from Five Ways and directed towards Moor Street Station and the new High Speed rail station in Curzon Street to help even further with regeneration in this area and make the transfer to New Street station a safer connection especially for women..
Well done everybody!
Vladimir, Cofton Hackett, Worcestershire
This is a Joke. No one in Birmingham wants this. Corporation Street has hundreds of buses using it every hour, it's the main stop for all City Routes. Millions of bus users will now be dumped on the edge of the city centre to allow a few thousand tram users from West Bromwich to get closer? How is this logical?
Centro need to focus on improving Bus and Train, not these money sponges that are trams.
tony hill, Birmingham, uk
What is the timescale for completion?...I've seen 2014!!! This should have been done years ago..How come it seems every other city region is forging ahead with extensions and new projects(especially the governments favourite provincial area,namely manchester and its surrounding area)It's no coincidence that Birmingham always misses out or is last in the queue...WHY!!!