With the first stage of the Midland Metro Birmingham City Centre extension as far as Bull Street having opened in December attention and anticipation has now turned towards the remainder of the line through to New Street Station. Construction works are continuing on both the tracks, overhead and stops with the latest word from Centro and Midland Metro being that the line will open to New Street in the “Spring”. This picture special shows the current state of play in the construction works as at Saturday 23rd January with photos provided by Ken Jones.
This is the stop under construction at Corporation Street, one of three further stops due to be opened on the extension.
On Stephenson Street directly outside New Street Station (and the Grand Central shopping complex).
Another view of Stephenson Street, this time looking in the other direction with the stop under construction.
The end of the line! This is the junction with Pinfold Street where the tracks end...for now. (All Photographs by Ken Jones)
Good to see the progress, and even better that the end of the new line will be only for a while, with further extensions on the way.
I think it’s ludicrous taken this long for a short extension route. It’s should have been up and running im sure it’s May last year.
Mr Malcolm is SO-O-O right. But bear in mind that Blackpool has it even worse, five years to build that half-mile extension to their North station, mainly delay by the local politicians I believe, totally unsurprisingly!! And then there’s the Great Western main line electrification – if you can bear it!! That’s now forecast as being THREE years late. It’s just that it is Britain I’m afraid. How shaming!! Something about not even running a whelkstall properly eh?
The disruption has been horrendous for the city centre, businesses have suffered tremendous losses, for what ? The city was far more vibrant when there was bus stops everywhere, buses are a lot cleaner now than what they use to be, I personally think it’ll have no benefit whatsoever.