Work to demolish a building, which will allow further construction work to take place on the West Midlands Metro Birmingham Eastside extension, has been making good progress in recent works. The Kings Parade site in Dale End was home to a McDonald’s before it closed in 2021 and has since been empty with it in the way of the path of the tramway which requires its demolition.
The Midland Metro Alliance started the demolition in October 2022 and since then they have stripped the internal fabric of the building with work now moving on to the external structure. This will see the last remnants of the building demolished.
Its expected that the ongoing works on Digbeth High Street at the far end of the line and on Lower Bull Street at the other will be completed later this year, leaving the streets clear of main Metro works and barriers.
This is good news surely and should mean an early start to services? Alas not! Unfortunately, the final central section of the line is unlikely to start construction work until 2026 because of delayed HS2 work on Curzon Street Station. Because of this delay, Transport for West Midlands and the Midland Metro Alliance are investigating a proposal to open a temporary stop next to the Clayton Hotel to serve both Moor Street Railway Station and Birmingham City University campus.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, made a recent visit to the site: “The removal of this well-known building is a clear sign that the Birmingham Eastside Metro extension is continuing to progress and I’m delighted that the demolition is moving along at pace. As well as making way for the new Metro route, the removal of Kings Parade will also pave the way for the regeneration of this area of the city centre making it more attractive to visitors, investors and local residents alike. Any delay to the opening of the extension in full is of course frustrating and that’s why we’re straining every sinew to get this project back on the right track. We’re pursuing options to get part of the line open as soon as possible so we can secure a convenient tram stop – linking Metro to Moor Street Station. Despite short term challenges, we must keep our eyes on the prize and remember that the ultimate destination here is a vastly improved public transport offering for local people to enjoy for many years to come.”
The full demolition is due to be finished in the summer and then track laying will be able to start. Track in Dale End will link the existing city centre line whilst also being the spur to take the route east to Digbeth.
Maria Ion, Project Director, commented: “The team have been busy gutting the entire of the inside of the building over the last few months and it is great that these works have now been completed allowing us to move on to the main structure. Construction work in this part of the city centre is really starting to take shape and I am pleased that we are achieving another milestone just weeks after we installed the first section of rail in nearby Lower Bull Street.”
The final Eastside extension will run for 1.7km between Bull Street and Digbeth and includes four permanent stops, including links to HS2 and Birmingham Coach Station. Over half of the route is scheduled to be built without overhead installed.
This was the building mentioned in the above article at the end of January. Demolition work was underway with some of the outer structure having been removed already. (Photograph by Mark Cufflin, 26th January 2023)
A different perspective of the delta junction showing the extent of the track installed on the Eastside extension. The current city centre line is seen in the foreground curving from Bull Street to Corporation Street with the new track seen going onto the extension. This excellent viewpoint shows the layout nicely.
Another view showing the new track as work continues further along Lower Bull Street.
One last elevated view as we zoom towards the limit of the track installed here so far. (Photographs x3 by Alex Mowbray, 10th February 2023)