Centro have revealed that plans for the extensions of Midland Metro are still very much on track, despite recent rumours that they may abandon the line to Five Ways – instead preferring to terminate the extension at New Street station.
Cllr Gary Clarke, chairman of Centro, commented: “We are adamant we will carry on with the extension. As far as I concerned, our policy is it's still on the agenda. If we proceed, we are talking about carrying 20 million passengers."
Centro have also reiterated that they are not keen on progressing with the idea of road pricing before improvements are made to public transport in the region – something which goes against current government policy for funding major transport projects.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has refused to guarantee that he will back the extensions. In an interview with the Wolverhampton Express and Star Mr Brown said that whether the extensions were given the go-ahead was down to the local authorities and regional development agencies. However, Laim Byrne, the minister for the West Midlands, has suggested this past week that public transport improvements could get the go-ahead without road pricing – the government now realising very few local authorities in the UK willing to incur the wrath of voters by backing the idea.
But just as Centro have given their backing to the extension comes a major plan for Birmingham City Centre which sets out to create a “modern, vibrant and truly global city”. Why the interest for the Metro extension? Well, as part of the “Big City Plan” alternative street-running options would be investigated for Midland Metro along with the possibility of a link from New Street station to the NEC and Birmingham International Airport. Surely if this is being discussed now it will mean hopes for the extension through the city centre will have to be put on the back burner until decisions have been made on the “Big City Plan”.
The document outling the plan says: “We believe that at the outset, we must reconsider some alternative street running options for the metro that lessen the impact on the city centre. Given the redesign of New Street Station and the proposed extension of the city centre core to the south and west, it may be more feasible to run the tram through these areas, opening up new development opportunities at, say, the wholesale markets."
* A pro-Metro blog has been posted on the Birmingham Post’s website from Culture correspondent Terry Grimley – you can read it here.
Source: Birmingham Mail, Birmingham Post & Wolverhampton Express & Star