4.6
Original Document
Centro, in partnership with Birmingham City Council, has identified four metro routes that will radiate from the city centre:
- The existing Line 1 running between Snow Hill and Wolverhampton.
- The planned Line 1 extension heading through the city centre to New Street Station then heading along Broad Street to terminate at Edgbaston and later at Junction 3 of the M5.
- A route to Birmingham International Airport extension running along Digbeth High Street.
- A route to Great Barr, using the alignment of New Town Row.
Figure 4.1 shows the proposed future metro network developed by Centro in partnership with BCC. As well as the Line 1 extension referred to above, a one-way city core loop is proposed serving Eastside, Southside and Westside quarters. The route, running around the south of the Bull Ring and immediately north of the international markets, will greatly improve tram system capacity and improve public transport accessibility in these areas. This loop would be required to deliver the airport extension from Digbeth High Street. A further extension is planned out to Great Barr via New Town Row. A route along Sherlock Street is also shown, which would infill a route to the south.
An alternative to Metro for some routes would be to implement ‘Bus Rapid Transit’. While the transport and regeneration benefits of trams are well understood in many modern cities, the costs and practical issues surrounding their implementation are considerable, while they can have adverse impacts on other modes (e.g. on pedestrians in crowded streets). Bus Rapid Transit is an intermediate mode between buses and trams, with optional features such as better vehicles, enhanced priority through guideways, and less frequent stops than conventional buses. BRT may be a more cost-effective alternative to tram in certain locations/corridors. Centro have suggested routes to Bartley Green, Chelmsley Wood and (as a pre-metro) to Perry Barr.
Plain English Translation
Centro have worked with Birmingham City Council and come up with four metro routes that will lead out from the city centre:
- The existing Line 1 running between Snow Hill and Wolverhampton
- The planned Line 1 extension leading through the city centre to New Street Station then heading along Broad Street to end at Edgbaston and later at Junction 3 of the M5.
- A route to Birmingham International Airport extension running along Digbeth High Street
Centro has got hold of a Transport Works Act Order, which allows them to carry on with the extension of Line 1 along Bull Street, Corporation Street, through Victoria Square to Broad Street. This option would need us to remove the buses from Corporation Street in favour of the tram, but would not allow us to fully pedestrianise it. Centro thinks that doing this would mean that a lot more people would use Line1 because it creates a direct Metro link to the New Street Gateway. To pick up further routes, they suggest a one-way city centre loop to serve Southside, Eastside and Westside. (See Figure 4.1 for alternative metro routes)
Figure 4.1 shows the suggested future metro network developed by Centro in partnership with Birmingham City Council. As well as the Line1 extension mentioned above, a one-way city core loop is suggested serving the Eastside, Southside and Westside districts. The route, which runs around the south of the Bull Ring and immediately north of the international markets, will mean a lot more people can use the trams and will improve public transport in these areas. This loop would be needed to have the airport extension from Digbeth High Street. A further extension is planned out to Great Barr via New Town Row. The image also shows a route along Sherlock Street which would infill a route to the south.
Proposed Metro Routes (Popup full image)
For some routes, we could have ‘Bus Rapid Transit’ (BRT) instead of the Metro. Many modern cities have seen the benefits of trams in terms of transport and regeneration, setting them up is expensive and there are other practical issues. They can also affect other modes of transport (such as pedestrians in crowded streets). Bus Rapid Transport is halfway between buses and trams, with optional features such as better vehicles, priority through guideways, and not as many stops as normal buses. BRT may be a cheaper alternative to trams in some places and along some routes. Centro have suggested routes to Bartley Green, Chelmsley Wood and (as a pre-metro) to Perry Barr.
More important than anything else in my opinion.
Birmingham desperately needs a fast, cheap and reliable transport system within the city centre or it will never grow!
At the moment businesses struggle on the outskirts to get the foot traffic, and there are some real gems. If you build a decent transport infrastructure the rest will naturally grow around it.
Some time back I recall mention (I think on the BBC Birmingham website) of a proposed underground network utilising existing tunnels under the city. Whilst I understand that this would involve a greater expense (and indeed greater upheaval in the centre during development) it would negate the need to abandon the existing bus routes into and out of the city and won't affect pedestrian traffic. It would still be possible to link it up with the Metro line (and of course the national rail network) and over time could serve a much larger area of the City.
There was a feasibility study into an underground in 2004 which concluded it was far too expensive an option (£2bn). The study was seen at the time as adding to the continuing delay over the metro extension. Trams are the only option being considered for Birmingham and given the topography of the city (it's hillier than you think) are surely the right one). At the recent Big City Plan event there was some new thinking that suggested the Hagley Road extension might actually go to Icknield Port Loop instead, therefore opening up that area for development. Indeed, making the most of the area close to the reservoir seemed to be a major emerging theme.
Looks like the Underground proposals are back again, Dave:
http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midland...
…although I can't see any actual mention of undergound rail in the Big City Plan above (as hinted at in the Post article)
And then there's the propsals for a monorail…
http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midland...
This summer I walked what felt like miles under Paris around Montparnasse station I think. Swift and efficient travelators in tunnels transport thousands of other walkers in a well-lit environment, surrounded by inventive (and lucrative) advertising and great buskers. Yes to an underground, but make it pedestrian and bicycles only. You could walk from Colmore Row to Harborne under cover in 10 minutes…
Re: underground. Actually the Post story doesn't even indicate a source that suggests the underground is back on the agenda. Noone will fund more feasibility for that – it's dead in the water. The monorail idea is put forward by a group of lobbyists – it is not in any plan or strategy. We should be more concerned about how our politicians are so easily distracted by such harebrained schemes – so distracted it often prevents progress on the stuff we actually have approval for but no money (line the metro extension to Five Ways).
Walkf from colmore Row to Harborne in 10 minutes? That's quite a pace….
Quinton and Chelmsley Wood are the biggest areas that don't have rail links. Let's make the first step to connecting them up by completing the Digbeth and Broad Street routes.
Bus Rapid Transport just doesn't get people switching from their cars like trams do. The limited stop nature of trams means they're quicker, and the formalised stops give the simplicity that irregular public transport users need.