West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has provided a glimpse of the future of public transport in the region, by releasing stunning CGI images of Metro trams running along Birmingham’s Hagley Road, in Walsall and through the centre of Chelmsley Wood.
Andy revealed the CGI images – of planned Metro lines from Birmingham to Halesowen along the Hagley Road, from Wednesbury to Walsall, and through East Birmingham to the airport – as he unveiled further details of his ongoing plan to build a world-class transport network for the region by 2040.
And he also shared an updated version of his Tube-style map showing the real progress made since it was first launched in 2020 – with details of new railway stations and lines under construction.
Other transport policy pledges revealed by Andy include:
On the Metro:
- To complete the Metro extension to Dudley later this year and Brierley Hill by 2027 and get trams running to the Clayton Hotel (near Moor Street and Birmingham City University) in 2025/26, and the Eastside Metro extension to Digbeth as soon as HS2 works allow.
- Increase the number of in-service trams to increase the frequency of services and reduce overcrowding at rush hour.
- Commit to keeping Metro fares as low as possible, whilst running the Metro in a financially responsible way as part of the overall West Midlands transport network.
On the trains:
- Open new rail stations to new services at Moseley, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road by the end of 2024, and Darlaston and Willenhall by 2025.
- Complete Aldridge Station and progress the plan to re-open the Sutton Park Line, which combined with the Camp Hill line would create a whole new cross-city route.
- Progress the business cases for new stations at Coventry East, Tettenhall and Castle Bromwich station then get construction started as soon as possible, and refurbish Witton Station in Birmingham.
- Begin early work on the Midlands rail Hub, to allow West Midlands Trains to reinstate the 6 trains per hour service on the CrossCity line, and make Avanti reinstate 3 trains per hour to London.
On the buses:
- Protect the region’s full network of bus services and keep fares low.
- Commit to new night bus services to get people home after a night out, supporting the night-time economy in our local centres, and extend the hours of key routes, such as to Birmingham Airport, where early and late services are needed.
- Review all options for the ownership and operation of buses in the West Midlands, to get to an affordable, non-political long-term plan for better buses in the region.
- Extend the network of Sprint bus routes across the region – for example in Walsall and Solihull – and use the funding he secured to create four new cross-city bus routes in Birmingham.
Andy said: “Since I launched my 2040 Transport Plan, our network has seen real progress, thanks to the £6.1 billion investment we have brought in.
“Right now, new railways stations are being built, right now the Metro is being extended to connect more and more communities, and right now passenger numbers on our buses are back to pre-pandemic levels, thanks to better, cleaner vehicles and some of the UK’s lowest fares.
“We are also seeing the rollout of hundreds of new clean buses across the region, with Coventry having more electric buses than anywhere else outside London.
“Building a transport system of this scale is a huge endeavour, with all kinds of challenges and hurdles, but I want our region to have a network that is as good as anywhere in the world – and we are doing it. It is happening.
“We are making massive investments now that will benefit generations to come – that’s why these CGI images are so powerful, because they show what residents can expect in the near future.
“This isn’t a pipe dream – after decades of underinvestment in our transport system, it is happening.
“When I became Mayor, this region was spending £38 million a year on transport. Now, on average, we are spending £407 million per year – that’s a ten-fold increase.”