A development plan for the Midland Metro is set to be agreed by West Midlands councillors.  It would allocate £400m out of the extra £1bn Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced for the region for an initial three-line extension to the tram network over the next decade.

The ambitious plan will go to the policy-setting Passenger Transport Authority for approval at its meeting on Monday 22 March. 

It envisages a phased extension of the network that promises a turn-up-and-go, modern transport system to around half a million people in Birmingham and the Black Country.  The total cost is estimated at £570m for the first phase and more than £1bn to complete the network.

Public transport promoter Centro believes it can meet Government criteria and is now seeking approval to submit outline business cases.  It will need to show that direct benefits outweigh the costs and that the tram system can run without public subsidy.  There would also be substantial economic regeneration and social benefits, although the Government does not allow these to be added in to the justification.

“Expanding the Midland Metro network alongside improvements for bus and rail services is vitally important to address the problem of increasing traffic congestion,” says Centro director general Rob Donald.  “Agreement to this programme of Metro expansion is an important milestone in achieving real choice for motorists.”

Consultants predict around 25 million passengers would use the Midland Metro following expansion of the network, with as many as a quarter of rush hour motorists tempted away from their cars according to a recent opinion poll.

“The benefits for people living and working in the West Midlands will be substantial.  We now have the foundations for a good business case and are confident we can win Government backing – although there remains a lot of work to be done to clear the higher hurdles that are now being set,” adds Rob Donald.

“There is a provisional funding allocation that would allow us to go ahead with 2-3 lines, while we continue to lobby and press the case for future expansion which we can show is in line with the Government’s transport priorities.”

New lines

The first phase would provide new lines from Wolverhampton to Walsall; from Quinton along the Hagley Road through Birmingham city centre to Eastside; and north from Birmingham along the A34 to Great Barr.  It would cost £570m and envisages trams running from 2011.

This would then be followed by a link from Walsall to Wednesbury and a Metro line to serve Birmingham International Airport and the NEC.

Modern emission-free vehicles carrying up to 200 passengers each would provide communities across Birmingham and the Black Country with a fully-accessible public transport system.  On the Great Barr route, for example, they would whisk people into town at twice the speed of buses.

In total, the plans now being put forward by Centro and its local authority partners could improve public transport links to two hospitals, half a dozen universities and colleges, more than ten shopping centres, as many as forty leisure centres and tourist attractions, dozens of schools, major employment areas and create new interchanges with motorways, the rail network and airport.

The Leaders of all seven West Midlands district councils have expressed their support for the plan now being presented to the Passenger Transport Authority meeting.

“Last year we agreed that £400m of the extra £1bn Government funding should be spent on developing the Metro network up to 2011.  Now we have agreement on a phased approach to develop a full network up to and beyond that date,” explains Cllr Richard Worrall, chair of the Authority.

“The plan will deliver wider regeneration benefits for the West Midlands and takes into account the needs of individual districts – as well as making the most of restricted Government funding.”

“But above all, the people of the West Midlands will be able to experience a step-change in the quality of public transport,” he adds.

The first Midland Metro line,  between Wolverhampton and Birmingham Snow Hill, opened five years ago and now runs at more than 98 per cent reliability.  A ‘best value’ survey of passengers also highlighted the tram system’s accessibility, frequency, comfort, cleanliness and value for money.  Extensions through Birmingham city centre to Five Ways and from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill are now approaching the final stage of Government approval with trams planned to start running in 2008.

Consultation

Centro, the body responsible for developing and promoting public transport in the West Midlands, and its district council partners undertook an initial public consultation on further expansion of the Metro network during late 2003 and early this year.  They sought public reaction on a number of different corridors and views on more than a dozen different alignments.

Almost 100,000 detailed brochures were sent to people living close to the proposed routes and more than 50 special events and exhibitions took place.

The results of that process including letters, petitions, 2,000 questionnaires and other comments are now been considered by Council Cabinets in the five West Midlands cities and districts concerned. (see news analysis for comments about each council’s process)

Birmingham City Council will consider the results of the consultation next month.  The Cabinet is expected to consider flyovers or underpasses at key junctions to keep both the trams and other traffic flowing smoothly – and to back a joint study to investigate options for underground running of Metro in the city centre.

Councillors are also expected to share Centro’s view that proposals for a line serving Harborne, the University/QE Hospital and Bartley Green should now be dropped.  Substantial revision would be necessary for the route to meet the Government’s raised benefit-cost ratio criteria and there was little public support for particular alignments being suggested.

Development

Centro is continuing high-level discussions with the Department for Transport on the funding process for both the current Line One extensions and the phased future development now being proposed.  Proposals include the separating of construction/maintenance and operating concessions and the allocation of risk, to avoid bids coming in over budget as has happened in other metropolitan areas.

An outline business case would be submitted to the Government late this year, when further detailed public consultation would also get underway.  The funding process would need to be agreed with the Department for Transport during the latter half of 2005, leading to a public inquiry in late 2006.  This could then give Centro the powers to build and operate the routes, with construction starting in 2009 and a phased opening leading to three new lines carrying passengers by 2013.