M6 Toll must be integral part of the UK’s motorway network say business leaders

THE M6 Toll must become an integral part of the UK’s motorway network, business leaders in Greater Birmingham have said.

However, they have stopped short of demanding that 27-mile route is made free-to-use – except during emergencies.

The controversial motorway, which relieves the M6 between Coleshill and Cannock, is thought to be up for sale – with an asking price of around £2bn.

The pay-to-drive road is effectively run by a consortium of banks after they took ownership of the motorway from operator Midlands Expressway Ltd. However, it now it appears that they are looking to sell it on.

If the £2bn price tag could be achieved it would represent quite a premium on the original cost of the project, which was £900m.

When the Department for Transport gave Midland Expressway the rights to operate the motorway, it came with a 52-year concession agreement.

That concession still has 39 years to run which would on the face of it, makes the road an attractive proposition for a potential buyer.

However, since the route opened in 2003 it has consistently failed to attract the volumes of traffic for which it was intended.

The project is so far thought to have run up total debts of around £1.9bn.

Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “With the prospect of putting the toll road into state ownership unrealistic, we call on any new owners and the regulators to ensure it is properly integrated into the motorway network in order to do the job it was intended for – relieving pressure on the M6.
 
“There should also be provision for the toll road to be opened up in times of gridlock, like the occasion last week when the M6 was closed for 24 hours because of a fatal crash at Spaghetti Junction.”
 
He said surveys conducted by the chamber had indicated that businesses were suffering unacceptable delays and rising costs caused by congestion.
 
“What is clear is that doing nothing to make full use of the toll road is simply not an option. Road congestion currently costs businesses in the West Midlands over £2.2bn per year in lost time, additional fuel costs and general stress,” added Faulkner.
 

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