Prospectus provides big plans

Europe’s industrial cities now face stern competition from rivals across the developing world.

On top of that we are all facing the worst economic crisis for more than half a century. The credit crunch not only threatens the vitality of private companies and the livelihoods of families, but also major public projects including, of course, urban transport schemes.

The instinct is to pull up the drawbridge and sit out this financial siege. Yet there is a compelling argument for doing the exact opposite by pressing on and putting in place the building blocks that will help us hit the ground running once the economy picks up.

Birmingham and the surrounding West Midlands conurbation has certainly been striving to do just that. Centro, as the region’s transport authority, has been working hard alongside its partners and the business community to move ahead with a number of key transport schemes – not least the £600 million rebuilding of Birmingham’s maligned New Street railway station. Another key scheme, the expansion of the runway at Birmingham International Airport, has also recently been given the green light.

The issues we face here in the West Midlands will be familiar to many other major British and European cities. Time and again it is congestion and the need for quality public transport that tops the local agenda. Industry and commerce recognise that good connectivity is vital for the local economy to flourish, with people having easy access to jobs, health care, training and the education that will give them the skills needed to compete on the global stage.

Yet traffic congestion has the power to stifle economic vitality and it is already costing the West Midlands economy a staggering £2.3 billion a year.

Nevertheless, the conurbation, with a population of 2.2 million, does have a good public transport system with local buses alone carrying more than 325 million passengers a year. That’s Britain’s highest bus use per population outside of London and the figure was up by five million last year.

Meanwhile, the urban rail system has seen a relentless rise in passengers – nearly doubling over the last decade to more than 34 million a year. The Midland Metro tram system running between Birmingham and Wolverhampton is carrying a further five million each year.

But car ownership also continues to increase and congestion will rise by a further 23% by 2021 unless tackled.

What the West Midlands needs is a truly world class public transport network and this is what Centro is working hard to deliver.

This month we unveiled our Integrated Public Transport Prospectus – a road map for the region to follow over the next 20 years.

The Prospectus is built on four cornerstones – to achieve economic growth, foster social inclusion, tackle congestion and fight climate change.

It includes several major schemes, some which we aim to carry out within the next five years or so. These include extending the existing Midland Metro line through the streets of Birmingham city centre to a rebuilt New Street Station and through Wolverhampton city centre to a new transport interchange.

Another extension using tram train technology will link to the existing Metro line at Wednesbury and run to Stourbridge, connecting with the existing heavy rail network. We will also be introducing a fleet of 25 new, longer trams on the existing Metro route in order to increase services to every six minutes throughout the day and to carry 40% more passengers at peak times.

Independent research has shown that these extensions alone could create more than 5,300 sustainable new jobs and boost the region’s economy by an extra £178 million a year. In the longer term, the Prospectus lays out plans for an even bigger rapid transit network.

Heavy rail schemes in partnership with Network Rail and local operator London Midland include the building after 2014 of new lines into Birmingham’s Moor Street station so two existing freight lines can start running passenger services to a number of key Birmingham suburbs.

Local stations will also undergo platform lengthening to serve longer trains carrying more passengers and looking further ahead the Prospectus envisages a new High-Speed Rail link between the West Midlands and London.

Meanwhile, Centro’s growing partnerships with bus operators will continue to drive up standards, attracting more people onto public transport.

The Prospectus will require region-wide support and a political commitment to deliver the schemes set out along its path. But the West Midlands has a proud heritage of endeavour and innovation and if all of us – business, local Government and the general community – pull together and draw on this inherent culture, we can provide the world class public transport network this region needs and deserves.