Businesses urged to comment on £3.4bn transport plan before deadline expires
The body responsible for transport services across the West Midlands has urged businesses and the public to submit comments as part of a public consultation on the future transport provision in the region.
The transport masterplan will see £3.4bn of tram extensions, new suburban rail lines, cycle routes and motorway improvements built over the coming decade.
The 2026 Draft Delivery Plan sets out a timetable for the construction of schemes the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) believes can best unlock economic growth and capitalise on the arrival of the HS2 high speed rail line.
Schemes include Midland Metro tram extensions in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country, new rail infrastructure to open up new passenger lines and improve local services, improvements to key motorway and road junctions and more cycle routes.
In addition to the £3.4bn package of measures, a number of further transport schemes are included and funding for these additional schemes will be sought over the timeframe.
A six-week consultation on the plan developed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) – the transport arm of the WMCA – concludes on Friday June 9.
The public’s responses will be considered when work begins on compiling the final version of the plan later this year.
Laura Shoaf, managing director of TfWM, said: “We want to hear people’s views on these proposed transport schemes that we feel will support the WMCA’s wider goals for economic growth, housing and skills.
“This blueprint has a key role to play in the future prosperity of our region, which is why I would encourage people to take this opportunity to have their say.”
The 2026 Draft Delivery Plan is the initial 10-year programme for the WMCA’s longer-term strategic transport plan ‘Movement for Growth, which sets out a 20-year vision and overall strategic approach to improving the regional network.
For more information or to make comments on the draft plan visit the Transport for West Midlands website.
