Plans for new transport routes unveiled as bus station demolition begins
Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) is developing plans for five new rapid transit routes, to deliver new Metro or Sprint rapid bus services.
The announcement was made by the Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street today in Dudley, as the demolition of the town’s bus station began, to make way for a new interchange.
£6.1bn has been invested in a greener transport system since TfWM was formed as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and will be invested over the 15 years to 2032.
Priority rapid transit corridors have been earmarked for:
- A38 Birmingham – Sutton Coldfield
- Birmingham – Heartlands Hospital – East Birmingham – Solihull – Birmingham Airport
- Birmingham – Bearwood – Hagley Road – Halesowen
- Walsall – Brierley Hill – Stourbridge, (incorporating Wednesbury to Brierley Hill extension)
- Birmingham – Longbridge – Rubery (incorporating a potential Birmingham – Smithfield phase)
- Coventry – Foleshill Corridor
- Hall Green – Solihull – UK Central Hub
- Coventry – Gigafactory Corridor
Proposed routes for longer-term development are:
- Hagley Road – Dudley (A4123 corridor)
- Birmingham – Hall Green
- Wolverhampton – New Cross Hospital
- Wolverhampton – i54
- Coventry – Binley
- Coventry – Eastern Green – Tile Hill
- Coventry – University of Warwick
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA said: “It’s no secret that our transport infrastructure was woefully underfunded for decades. But since the formation of the WMCA and with the region pulling in the same direction, we have started to redress that underinvestment and increased our funding more than tenfold to deliver a green transport revolution.
“We are already seeing unprecedented investment with construction well underway on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill and Birmingham Eastside Metro extensions, six new railway stations and our Sprint bus route. By building a ‘turn up and go’ network we can make the most impact in persuading people to leave their cars at home and avoid busy, congested roads.
“And, with at least £2.6 billion more to invest over the next few years, we are now turning our attention to what comes next, such as taking Metro further along Hagley Road and extending the tram route from Digbeth through East Birmingham and North Solihull.
“Alongside this we have identified a priority list of further routes so that as we pull in still more funding we have projects ready to go. This approach means we can grow our network in a clear and coordinated way to deliver the most benefit for our travelling public.”
