Rapid transit system for Birmingham included in £2bn HS2-linked transport package

THE long-mooted SPRINT rapid transit system, which will run along Birmingham’s Hagley Road, was formally agreed today as part of a £2bn package of transport improvements for the region.

The tram-style buses are intended to improve connectivity between Five Ways and Edgbaston and the city centre while the city awaits the planned Midland Metro extension from New Street Station to Five Ways via Centenary Square.

Longer-term plans include capacity improvements on the Snow Hill lines, the introduction of rail passenger services on the Camp Hill line in south Birmingham, Metro tram extensions from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill and through Birmingham’s Eastside district to the city’s HS2 station and a rapid transit link between the HS2 station at the airport/NEC and Coventry.

The Local Connectivity Package was ratified by the region’s new Integrated Transport Authority Shadow Board and has been planned to ensure the region is reaping the potential benefits of the HS2 scheme by best connecting and feeding into the high-speed rail line.

The package includes new and upgraded rail stations, opening up rail freight lines to passenger services and the electrification of other key rail routes.

Cllr Roger Lawrence, spokesman for the ITA Shadow Board which is made up of the leaders of the seven West Midland councils, said: “HS2 offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for our region and we intend to grab it with both hands.

“With the right local transport connections we can secure more than 51,000 new jobs and boost the West Midlands economy by more than £4.1bn a year, benefitting people right across our region.

“We have already secured more than £320m towards this package so we can press on and build several of the schemes over the next five years or so.

“That’s a great start and we will now continue to work closely with the region’s Local Enterprise Partnerships and Network Rail amongst others to deliver the rest of the package.”

The £320m will be used to:

• Extend the Midland Metro tram from St George’s in Wolverhampton to the city’s rail station and from Birmingham New Street to Centenary Square
• Electrify the Walsall to Rugeley and the Coventry to Leamington Spa rail  lines
• Build a new rail station and provide services at Kenilworth
• Expand park and ride sites at local rail stations
• Introduce the tram-style bus rapid transit system SPRINT along the Hagley Road
• Upgrade the area between New Street and Moor Street Stations to create a “One Station” environment
• Improve cycle links

The schemes are earmarked to be built between 2015 and 2019.

Potential funding sources for the longer-term schemes include Network Rail’s control period 6, the Single Local Growth Fund, Enterprise Zone, private sector developers, local and national government and HS2 Ltd.

These schemes would be delivered over a ten to 15 year period, the equivalent of a £167m a year investment in the West Midlands.