Midland Metro finally open in Birmingham city centre

THE extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham city centre has finally been officially opened after a series of delays.

Tram services began running between Snow Hill Station and New Street Station yesterday – the first time they have run through the city centre streets since 1953.

The celebrations were low-key as the £128m scheme is long overdue and had been expected to open last September at the same time as the revamped New Street and Grand Central.

It had been hoped the extension would open earlier this month but the planned launch had to be postponed again because of an uneven track, a move which left transport authority Centro red-faced.

Centro, the delivery arm of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority (ITA), is responsible for the extension although it is operated by National Express.

The authority put on a brave face for the opening, with Cllr Dick Worrall, Metro lead member for the ITA’s transport delivery committee, which oversees Centro, said: “It’s wonderful to see the Metro running all the way between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street.
 
“It’s obviously great news for Birmingham – but also for the wider West Midlands. This extension is expected to create more than 1,300 sustainable new jobs and boost the regional economy by more than £50m a year.”
 
James Aspinall, managing director of Centro, said the extension was just the start of a major expansion of the Metro over the next few years which would see £1.2bn invested in public transport over the next decade.

Work has already begun extending the route from New Street Station to Centenary Square, with services expected to start running in 2019.
 
Funding has also been earmarked to extend the route further along Broad Street, past Five Ways and on to Edgbaston by 2021.
 
The route of the extension through Digbeth has also been chosen, running from Bull Street via Albert Street and on to the forthcoming HS2 high speed rail station at Curzon Street.