Demolition of city centre building completes for new Metro route

Works to demolish a city centre building and pave the way for a new Metro route have been completed.

There is now an empty space where the Kings Parade building once stood in Dale End after it was levelled as part of works for the Birmingham Eastside Metro extension.

The Midland Metro Alliance (MMA), which is designing and delivering the route on behalf of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), began the demolition activity in October 2022.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “It’s good news that the demolition of the Kings Parade building has now been completed. Standing in the Dale End area, you can now see the route that the new line will take from the existing line at Bull Street. The removal of this building also paves the way for the wider regeneration of this part of the city centre – making it more attractive to investors, visitors and local residents alike.”

Cllr Liz Clements added: “It is fantastic to see such considerable progress being made on this project. The city council’s Climate Change Action Plan has the pledge to reach net zero carbon by 2030 or soon as possible thereafter as a just transition allows, so it is crucial that major construction projects like the Metro extension take every step possible to reduce their carbon footprint. I look forward to seeing the new route take even more shape over the coming weeks and months.”

The construction work in Lower Bull Street remains on track to be completed in the summer allowing buses to return to the area in late July.

Once completed the new line will run from Bull Street, in the city centre, to Digbeth, adding four new tram stops to the Metro network. More than half of the 1.7km route is planned to be free of overhead wires, similar to the extension from Grand Central to Centenary Square.