Transport bosses in the West Midlands have welcomed today’s Government announcement which will provide almost a billion pounds of funding over the next ten years.
“This shows the Secretary of State recognises the scale of the problem in the West Midlands which has the most congested metropolitan area outside London. He has agreed with the great majority of our proposals which means we can move forward on a package of public transport improvements,” says Cllr Gary Clarke, chairman of regional body Centro-PTA.
“Investing heavily in our bus, train and light rail networks really is the best opportunity this city region has for tackling congestion, improving the environment and boosting the West Midlands economy,” he says.
Today’s announcement is in response to a submission from West Midlands authorities, including both the city region metropolitan area and the shire counties, which set out transport funding priorities. The Government has broadly accepted that advice and has therefore given the go-ahead for a total of 34 schemes. Three new schemes given funding approval for the first time include improvements to bus services in Leamington Spa and Warwick and a £10.4m package to boost public transport access to Birmingham International Airport and the NEC.
In Coventry:
Two major projects which were put forward by councillors as provisional items in the regional priority list have been accepted by Government. These are the work on Coventry Station Interchange and the ‘Sprint’ bus rapid transit link between Kenilworth and Nuneaton via the city centre. These could only be submitted as provisional because they were not fully worked up schemes – Sprint, for example, is still at the public consultation stage.
“Improving public transport between Nuneaton, Coventry city centre and Kenilworth is an essential step to support regeneration in the area. The idea of bus rapid transit is an exciting prospect and one that we now know is very capable of winning Government support and funding,” comments Cllr Clarke.
The PrimeLines bus network improvements, already underway, remains in the Government’s funding list for 2006/07 to 2008/09.
In Wolverhampton and the Black Country:
The development of a Wolverhampton city centre transport interchange to link bus, rail and future Midland Metro services continues to receive Government support. However further enhancements to the rail station, which were backed by Centro-PTA, have been turned down because they do not as yet offer sufficient value for money according to the Department for Transport.
“Clearly those bodies putting schemes forward need to show that public money will be well spent, which is why we all need to come up with a robust package of proposals,” comments Cllr Clarke. “The Government’s announcement today that it agrees with nearly all the regional priorities does mean that we can press on with providing a better transport network for Wolverhampton and the Black Country, while we continue to work up many more long-term projects and lobby hard for their funding.”
Other Black Country schemes in the programme include Cradley Heath and Walsall town centres, Brierley Hill improvements and West Midlands Traffic Control Centre to keep roads flowing smoothly.
In Birmingham and Solihull:
The Department of Transport today agreed to provide 100 per cent of the funding requirement to improve access to Birmingham International Airport and the NEC site. The scheme is aimed particularly at supporting employment growth and existing workers with increased frequencies on key bus routes, new bus lanes and other priority measures along with better information at bus stops and real time passenger information.
Buses feature strongly across the West Midlands £1bn package with, for example, continued funding for showcase routes in Birmingham.
In the longer term, the Government has today recognised the regional top priorities of New Street Station and Midland Metro expansion in its funding plans.
The redevelopment of New Street Station is given the go ahead for the second half of the funding period starting in 2009. The ‘gateway’ project can be progressed ready to be added to the programme, according to today’s Government statement.
“The announcement is in line with what we expected and keeps this critical project on track,” says Cllr Clarke. “We do need to keep pressing the point to make sure commitments are honoured – as the redevelopment of New Street Station is crucial to promoting greater public transport use.”
As well as being a major gateway to Birmingham city centre for visitors, New Street is important for thousands of daily commuters as one in five now travel to work by train.
Midland Metro expansion:
In addition to announcing regional transport funding plans for the next ten years, Secretary of State Douglas Alexander today gave approval for an expansion of the Manchester Metrolink tram system. Transport bosses in the West Midlands are taking this as a good sign that, where they can show they deliver value for money, the Government will approve schemes such as the expansion of the Midland Metro tram network in Birmingham and the Black Country.
“We can show that the Metro expansion through Birmingham city centre and from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill via Dudley more than meets Department of Transport criteria so we have a very solid case for approval,” comments Cllr Clarke.
In his letter to the West Midlands, Douglas Alexander says he notes that expansions to the Midland Metro system are a top regional priority. However funding has not been included in today’s announcement on the understanding that local councils will include the new tram lines as part of a wider package of measures in their subsequent bid for the Transport Innovation Fund.
“This is helpful recognition from the Secretary of State that TIF funding is about a comprehensive set of proposals to tackle congestion and that major investment in public transport will be a crucial part of the package,” says Cllr Clarke. “We have got to keep the Government talking about an integrated transport system so that the West Midlands gets vital funding for improving rail, bus and tram networks.”
“That is our best chance for boosting the regional economy and taking care of the environment too,” he adds.
Link: news story from GNN
