It has been quite a year for public transport, with the West Midlands at the heart of the national debate on several occasions and some positive achievements for passengers and regional businesses. Mid year, we saw a change in the political landscape with new people in charge at the PTA and local councils after the elections.
January
The year started as it has ended with the Midland Metro making headlines.
Public consultation on a major expansion of the network (link) across Birmingham and the Black Country was winding to a close as we packed away the Christmas decorations. The £875m plan being discussed was for five new lines and (more of this later) would include a feasibility study into a tunnels option for Birmingham city centre. (link)
The public inquiry into a street running extension to Metro Line One through Birmingham city centre – part of an earlier expansion package – came to a close at Birmingham Hippodrome (Oh yes it did!) (link) The one outstanding objection from bus company Travel West Midlands hinged on Birmingham City Council agreeing a revision to the bus mall which would allow buses to be relocated from Corporation Street. The bus mall at Moor Street, which opened before Christmas, had been partially closed because of its safety record. (link)
The reliability of the national rail network was scarcely out of the news during 2004. In January the Government announced a complete review of the industry to make it more efficient. (link)
February
Another debate over the future of public transport picked up with Centro and its partners in PTEG (representing public transport in the major conurbations) lobbying for a greater role in coordinating bus services through quality contracts. PTEG said it valued competition between bus companies to provide an incentive for better services – but that passengers would be better-served by competition in the boardroom rather than buses of many colours vying for passengers on the street. (link)
The TravelWise campaign, supported by Centro, won a top prize at a motor industry award ceremony. (link)
March
As the PTA budget was settled for another year, a £35m package of public transport improvements was announced by Centro. (link)
The Midland Metro was back in the news with the opening of the year’s second public inquiry and approval for the phase two expansion. (link) The inquiry, at the Merry Hill Copthorne, heard evidence for and against an extension from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill, via Dudley. The expansion of the network beyond that was approved by the Passenger Transport Authority, Birmingham City Council and other district councils. (link) One line (serving Harborne and the University of Birmingham, then on to Bartley Green) was dropped and the rest divided into phases 2a and 2b. The ambitious plans were to make use of £1bn of extra funding offered by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.
April
Bus services were much in the news during April. Centro’s refurbished Bearwood bus station was opened to passengers and the public transport promoter also sealed a deal with advertising giant Adshel to pump millions into improvements for passengers across the network. (link) The shelter contract was hailed as the biggest of its kind and could be worth up to £70m over ten years.
Meanwhile a Centro survey confirmed what passengers often thought about bus services: you wait for ages then three come at once – except in this case up to six came at once. Frustrated by the lack of information published by bus operators, Centro carried out its own survey into commercial bus reliability and it wasn’t always happy reading. (link)
May
Good news for the regions rail passengers came in May. To ease the problem of overcrowded trains at peak times, Centro announced a £2m investment to provide the train operator with ten new carriages – an equivalent of more than 1000 seats to make the train option more attractive to commuters. (link)
June
A new park and ride facility was opened at Smethwick Galton Bridge (link), just as a national conference revealed the West Midlands to be the top region for park and ride. Centro’s free parking provision was now taking more than two million journeys a year off the region’s congested roads. (link)
With the prospect of major roadworks looming on the M6 and Aston Expressway, Centro launched a ‘beginners guide to public transport’ for motorists who might find it difficult to make the switch. The web-based guide offered advice on everything from how to find your bus stop or train station, pay for a ticket and came complete with an interactive journey planner. (link)
Local elections in June heralded some major changes in the region’s political landscape. Conservatives took control in Coventry. Labour lost the Leadership of Birmingham City Council as Conservatives and Liberal Democrats joined forces. And the balance of power changed on the Passenger Transport Authority too. (link)
July
Following the PTA annual meeting a new coalition took the helm of public transport in the West Midlands. Conservative chairman Cllr Gary Clarke and Labour vice-chair Cllr Paul Allen vowed that public transport would not be a political football and would put passenger interests top of the agenda. (link)
They were immediately greeted with some welcome news as surveys revealed for the first time that the number of people using the bus, train and tram in the Birmingham rush hour had overtaken the number of commuters in their cars for the first time. (link)
Car commuters on the north side of Birmingham faced a particular challenge as major roadworks got underway on the Aston Expressway and M6. A park and ride scheme (link) to provide some relief proved to be a slow starter as motorists found new routes around the jams. Within a week the Highway Authority suspended bus lanes in the area.
The Tyburn Road bus lane was to remain suspended even after the roadworks while the new leaders of Birmingham City Council looked at alternatives. A partnership to upgrade bus services in this corridor stalled as a result. Centro and bus company Travel West Midlands had both signed the Statutory Bus Quality Partnership – a legal agreement to provide passengers with better buses and service quality, with roadside infrastructure and bus priority measures. (link)
Transport issues made much of the national news during July as the Government published its Rail Review (link) and the Transport White Paper (link). Both were broadly welcomed by Centro – but with a warning that the devil is often in the detail (more of that later!)
August
The new PTA leadership got stuck in straight away when it became clear that heralded new rail timetables following the £7bn West Coast Main Line Upgrade were more likely to lead to a worse service for local passengers. Hardest hit would be the line between Birmingham New Street and Coventry serving the Airport and NEC. Cllrs Clarke and Allen called the rail industry in for a summit meeting to try and find a solution. (link)
September
The new rail timetable came into force and fears of overcrowded trains and platforms proved to be well-founded. (link)
A new bus interchange was opened at Brandhall in the Black Country (link), while various initiatives for TravelWise Week promoted the advantages of public transport. (link)
Centro’s integrated ticketing strategy took a great step forward with the launch, after finally reaching agreement with bus operators, of a One Day Busmaster ticket. This can be bought from the bus driver and gives all day travel on almost any colour bus right across the West Midlands for just £3. (link)
October
Centro News Online launched to provide a virtual press office and keep the media up to date with Centro and the PTA. Early stories covered a new police unit for safer travel on public transport (link) and keeping track on the debate about the future of the Midland Metro in Birmingham – it said street trams were still on the agenda. (link)
The expanded Taxibus service for the Meridan Gap was launched (link) and work started on doubling the size of park and ride at Stourbridge Junction. (link)
A second survey of the reliability of commercial bus services in the West Midlands showed nothing much had changed. (link) Some blamed the lack of bus priority measures, while a doubt still hung over the future of the Tyburn Road bus lane in Birmingham.
One of Centro’s congestion-busting schemes claimed to have passed a significant milestone. There were now enough people signed up to the Corporate Travel Scheme to relieve the West Midlands of two million car journeys a year. (link)
November
Cllrs Clarke and Allen celebrated 100 days of the ‘new’ Passenger Transport Authority with a list of achievements and good news for passengers. (link) Councillors were also able to scrutinise plans for redeveloping New Street Station. Centro is part of the steering group with Birmingham City Council and the railway industry. (link)
Despite Government pronouncements about giving the regions a bigger say in public transport, concerns were growing that the actual content of the Railways Bill (announced in the Queen’s Speech) would take away powers from bodies like Centro (link). PTEG lobbying stepped up a gear to try and get the powers restored at committee stage.
December
Good news for bus passengers in Wednesbury – with the opening of the new bus station (link) – and good news all round with the Government announcing funding for Local Transport Plan schemes. The West Midlands got the biggest slice of the cake for major schemes with £28m for Red Routes and Coventry’s PrimeLines bus network part of the package. While other schemes were left waiting the small print indicated a possible decision in early 2005. (link)
And finally, back to the Midland Metro: “a wonderful Christmas present for the people of the Black Country” – the Government gave Transport and Works Act approval for the extension form Wednesbury, via Dudley to Merry Hill and Brierley Hill. (link)
