Route outlined for £130m Metro extension
PASSENGER transport body Centro has revealed the route of the £130m Digbeth extension to the Midland Metro.
The body has opted to run the trams along High Street Deritend, serving key locations like Digbeth Coach Station and The Custard Factory.
The decision, taken in conjunction with Birmingham City Council, follows a public consultation in which 74% of people voted for the High Street option rather than an alternative route along Fazeley Street.
The first section of the Eastside Metro route was agreed last year and will run between the extension currently being built at Bull Street in the city centre, via Albert Street and on to the forthcoming HS2 high speed rail station at Curzon Street.
But after transport chiefs secured extra Government money last summer to take the extension further into Digbeth the public were offered the chance to have their say on which of two possible routes the trams should take.
The overwhelming favourite was for a 1.5km long route from the HS2 station along New Canal Street and Meriden Street before turning left on to High Street Deritend.
It then runs along the centre of the carriageway with a stop close to the junction of Milk Street to serve Digbeth Coach Station and the Custard Factory before turning left into Adderley Street where a terminus is proposed.
Centro’s lead member for the transport network, Cllr Keith Linnecor, said: “This extension has an important role to play in making sure the region has the transport connections it needs to support economic growth and jobs.
“Tens of thousands of people in the Black Country and Birmingham already have access to the Metro and this extension will give them a direct link to the high speed rail network, which in turn will provide connections to key national and international destinations.
“It will also offer that same connectivity to people in the east of Birmingham and help in the movement of the 12,000 West Midlands people who are expected to arrive at the HS2 station every hour.”
The tram extension is a key part of the wider Birmingham Curzon HS2 Master Plan which has been drawn up by the city council and Centro to lay down a blueprint for the redevelopment of 350 acres of land around the HS2 station.
The scheme includes shops, 350,000 square metres of offices, a hotel and 2,000 homes.
Cllr Tahir Ali, Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for development, transport and the economy, said: “The Midland Metro project is hugely important for Birmingham as it will create new jobs, encourage business growth and help boost the local economy.
“This proposed Digbeth extension will take this vision even further, ensuring that people and businesses across the city are connected as never before. We asked local people to come forward with their views on where this extension should go and I am delighted that we have now been able to choose a route based on the overwhelming response we had to our public consultation.”
The Digbeth route option including construction and additional new trams is expected to cost around £130m.
