http://www.thamenews.net/readmore.asp?Content_ID=3264&Navigation_ID=39

The first passenger one broke down this morning :doh:

oops ;) ^^

Anyone know when we are likely to hear who wins the roads PFI.

From the Post

Recycling plan for Birmingham roads
Apr 28 2008

A state-of-the-art road hardcore recycling facility is being planned for Birmingham by one of the organisations bidding for the city’s £2.2 billion highways maintenance contract.

The Birmingham Street Services' plant would be modelled on a similar aggregate recycling facility already operating in Kidderminster. The plant recycles material from roads under repair and prepares it for use on new surfaces, reducing the need for fresh-quarried aggregates.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/2008/04/28/recycling-plan-for-birmingham-roads-65233-20830356/

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3651/cimg3295lh0.jpg

New livery tram:
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8760/cimg3301fw3.jpg

NeilM Is that one of those fancy pics like you see on 28 Days Later where one person appears in many places on the same shot?? :) :)

I posted an image, albeit a very crap photo of an artists impression from Snow Hill station, ages back.

Here it is again. That's about all we have to go on for images as far as I can find.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/DSC07288.jpg

Thanks,
Doesn't look much like the peice of landmark architecture I was expecting to compliment the Snowhill dvelopment. This look more suited for Coleshill station. Perhaps the surrounds to the entrance at street level will be lanscaped to compliment the area

NeilM Is that one of those fancy pics like you see on 28 Days Later where one person appears in many places on the same shot?? :) :)

Nope, that is how many people were on site, shockingly, 17 identical looking people is pretty scary. :lol:

What are they all doing there? And why do they suddenly need that many people after months of one man per day??

New livery tram:
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8760/cimg3301fw3.jpg

:shocked: http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/1609/gaysmiley2ar.gif

Update on the Snow Hill entrances.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/6MaySHent1.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/6MaySHent2.jpg

I dont know if this is relevant or important, but some people in my office have just been commisioned to do a flood risk assessment (I gather this is standard as part of the planning application process for many sites) for a future metro line in Walsall for centro - as current rumours are that the expansion of the metro has been shelved, what do you think this suggests? The apparent 'shelving' is a nonsense? There has been a return to pushing ahead with the expansion? This is an anomolie of the planning process?

Feasibility tests?

I dont know if this is relevant or important, but some people in my office have just been commisioned to do a flood risk assessment (I gather this is standard as part of the planning application process for many sites) for a future metro line in Walsall for centro - as current rumours are that the expansion of the metro has been shelved, what do you think this suggests? The apparent 'shelving' is a nonsense? There has been a return to pushing ahead with the expansion? This is an anomolie of the planning process?

FRA's are usually a sign of an iminent application, they have to be done for any application in flood zone 2, 3a or 3b or any site over a hectare in size in FZ1. I'd say that is good news :happy:

Well it looks like after New Street the region or more really the West Midlands area is uniting over the importance of the Metro so hopefully a united bid for funding and more lobbying together with using a S106/land sale funding approach like the City Centre extension means that it should be more feasible.

:?

hopefully?

I have spoken to a couple of MP's about the tram. They are interested and told me they want to get together like they did with New Street. Dudley and Wolves want to push for extension, however the Brum coalition are not interested one bit. BCC never turn up for council meetings with other local authorities either.

From what I can gather BCC want more buses. *sigh*

BCC are backing the tram too - it is usually the first thing that comes out of Mike Whitby's mouth when talking publicly (support for the tram, that is, not a tram itself...)

I dont know if this is relevant or important, but some people in my office have just been commisioned to do a flood risk assessment (I gather this is standard as part of the planning application process for many sites) for a future metro line in Walsall for centro - as current rumours are that the expansion of the metro has been shelved, what do you think this suggests? The apparent 'shelving' is a nonsense? There has been a return to pushing ahead with the expansion? This is an anomolie of the planning process?

Well, the way the Brown government is going, they will be desperately looking for something to appease the Labour voters in the West Midlands, so maybe this is it?

I have done a little digging, and the area that the FRA is being carried out is on an old disused rail line (again) that isnt too far from walsall centre and feeds into the existing metro line from Brum to Wolves. The person I spoke to seemed to think that this was going ahead, but where is the funding coming from? Indeed, why would they commision such work at such an early stage, if there was no deal on funds?

I have done a little digging, and the area that the FRA is being carried out is on an old disused rail line (again) that isnt too far from walsall centre and feeds into the existing metro line from Brum to Wolves. The person I spoke to seemed to think that this was going ahead, but where is the funding coming from? Indeed, why would they commision such work at such an early stage, if there was no deal on funds?

That's the same disused rail line which will form the basis of the Merry Hill/Brierly Hill extension. If memory serves, what you're talking about is the 5w's line.

Google Earth: 52°32'52.57"N 2° 1'23.24"W

This is where the line in question passes under the existing Metro line. Follow the disused line Northish and end up in Walsall Southish, and it takes you past the Black Country museum, through Dudley and towards Brierly / Merry Hill & Round Oak (Where the current goods heavy rail line stops)

Centro - A quango formed for the employment of numerous failed Labour politicians who get paid large amounts of public money for sitting around thinking up ludicrous schemes to waste ratepayers hard earned cash.
Metro - see above.

The last time I saw an account of the Metro's finances it had lost £14,000,000 and had absolutely no chance of ever paying its way, let alone make a profit.
I can't understand why anyone would want more of these financial black holes.


Manchester (Irlam) Labour Loony Transport Boss Roger Jones was thrown out in the local elections - he was the chief advocate of congestion charging for Greater Manchester and an Independent anti-congestion charge candidate won his seat.
Interviewed while he was still shell shocked, he said he was going to have to look for a job - and he said he'd never had an actual job, he'd only ever worked in local politics!
I think I'll put down a fiver that Centro recruit him - he'd feel right at home in that organisation. :ohno:

In my opinion, transport shouldn't be about making a profit, it should be about getting people from where they live to where they work and play. Accessibility is one of the keys to lifting people out of poverty.
Plus street running trams look cool, they are as much about prestige as they are transport. Buses and heavy rail just don't work the same way.

In my opinion, transport shouldn't be about making a profit, it should be about getting people from where they live to where they work and play. Accessibility is one of the keys to lifting people out of poverty.
Plus street running trams look cool, they are as much about prestige as they are transport. Buses and heavy rail just don't work the same way.

But where would you draw the line with that policy?
It would be technically possible to install Metro routes along every main road in Birmingham, they'd look great but there'd be no passengers because families would be handing over all their wages to subsidise the trams.
Where trams run, cars won't be allowed and buses will be severely curtailed.
What Brum needs is a group of MP's who actually live in the city and who are prepared to stand up for the people who pay their inflated salaries.
When did you last hear a Birmingham MP stand up in parliament and castigate the Government for short-changing the citizens of this City?
What Birmingham needs is an underground railway system and everyone knows it!
We are the largest city in Europe without one and it's a disgrace.

Trams don't automatically mean no cars and buses, I don't know the name of the street in Wolverhampton but they all run along together and I don't see why that can't happen elsewhere. Within city centres I wouldn't mind no cars and buses if there are trams to a certain extent. I think in general people don't mind pedestrianised streets with trams running down them, they are far more pleasant than those with 30 buses an hour down them. Trams are clean at the point of use, generally have a positive image and way way cheaper than building an underground.

I think it will be a long time before any other UK city gets its own underground system lamentably.

Centro - A quango formed for the employment of numerous failed Labour politicians who get paid large amounts of public money for sitting around thinking up ludicrous schemes to waste ratepayers hard earned cash.
Metro - see above.

The last time I saw an account of the Metro's finances it had lost £14,000,000 and had absolutely no chance of ever paying its way, let alone make a profit.
I can't understand why anyone would want more of these financial black holes.



Maybe to get people out of cars and to provide a decent transport system (which by the way is the backbone of any important city - not skyscrapers).

I find your attitude a little small minded, although common place. There are too many cars and the roads are massive in brum - which makes the city look like it is ugly (ask any tourist to the city and they will tell you that the worst thing about the city is that it looks like it was built on a motorway junction).

I know people - hard working people - who have worked for centro. The problem isnt the ambitious schemes (ludicrous wast of tax payers money in your words), which the city NEEDS, its the lack of funds from central and local government to fund them. Lots of cities are getting trams/underground systems installed, or have done recently (e.g. Edinburgh, Manc, Bordeaux...), so why is this so absurd in your eyes?

Transport is the most important problem facing birmingham. I have difficulty understanding how this will be solved under the current (local and national) administration (s).

BCC are backing the tram too - it is usually the first thing that comes out of Mike Whitby's mouth when talking publicly (support for the tram, that is, not a tram itself...)
Yeah, okay! So why did they deliberately fuck it all up one before last time they were offered funding form London. BCC didn't even bother to submit anything to White Hall, let along fight a battle to secure any funding. They left London confused as they were going to fund it. The last time London offered, it was under TIF, and we turned it down again!

Well, I'm not for congestion charging, but come on!

I speak to a lot of people who work with/for the council, and their plans are for buses and taxis only. This is also the plan for the "Big City Plan".

Also remember their bogus study into running the trams underground, that delayed the mid-met for a good while :bash:

gaah,
just let TFL come up Brum for a year and do some of their decent transport planning and get a city region tax raising powers together with DfT pot of money for city region to be spent by city region.

From the Post


Spaghetti Junction repair scheme to begin
May 8 2008 By Rhona Ganguly

Motorists have been warned to watch out for new road changes as a £4.1 million scheme of essential repair work at Spaghetti Junction begins on Monday.


The 17-month project to reinforce eight bridge deck supports, repair columns and supporting crossbeams at junction six of the M6, has been described as "essential" to maintain Birmingham’s iconic motorway interchange.

Spaghetti Junction opened 36 years ago this month and is used by more than 160,000 vehicles every day. Last year, the Highways Agency announced plans for repair work to prevent more costly repairs at a later date after concerns over its "crumbling" state.

The Highways Agency and Birmingham City Council have formed a partnership for the project and said they wanted to ensure road delays were kept to a minimum.

The work will be carried out below the bridge deck so as not to affect the M6 motorway carriageway.

However, the Salford Circus roundabout will have an additional lane marked on the outside but will lose the current inner lane during the works. This will maintain two traffic lanes on the roundabout so capacity will be remain the same. The speed limit here will be restricted to 20mph.

In addition, the A38 Tyburn Road heading into Birmingham City centre will have the dedicated left turn lane removed, and the A5127 Lichfield Road heading out of Birmingham City centre will have the existing bus lane reduced in length and the offside lane approaching the roundabout will be closed.

Highways Agency project sponsor Moreblessing Pedhuru said: "The programme of repairs will help to ensure the Spaghetti Junction slip roads supported by these columns continue to provide a safe route for drivers, and doing the work now will prevent further deterioration and more costly repairs in the future.

"We will repair eight concrete crossbeams that support the carriageway above the roundabout at Salford Circus. Four of these crossbeams are sited above the sunken pedestrian area and four on the inner paved section of the roundabout.

"We will install steelwork to support the carriageway whilst the repairs are being carried out. The road markings will be changed on the approach to and at the roundabout to maintain traffic flows, and a reduced speed limit will be in place for the duration of the repairs."

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2008/05/08/spaghetti-junction-repair-scheme-to-begin-65233-20877504/

From the Post

In addition, the A38 Tyburn Road heading into Birmingham City centre will have the dedicated left turn lane removed, and the A5127 Lichfield Road heading out of Birmingham City centre will have the existing bus lane reduced in length and the offside lane approaching the roundabout will be closed.




That bus lane "doesn't exist" anyway! It was built without proper planning permission and has been suspended since 2002!

Yeah, okay! So why did they deliberately fuck it all up one before last time they were offered funding form London. BCC didn't even bother to submit anything to White Hall, let along fight a battle to secure any funding. They left London confused as they were going to fund it. The last time London offered, it was under TIF, and we turned it down again!

Well, I'm not for congestion charging, but come on!

I speak to a lot of people who work with/for the council, and their plans are for buses and taxis only. This is also the plan for the "Big City Plan".

That's not strictly true. BCC are to be rightfully criticised for stalling their end with the debates over who was going to pick up the tab for road junction alterations but eventually they buried the hatchet and Centro submitted proposals. The time before last BCC did prevaricate.

I think most people in the West Midlands agree that TIF/C-charge is a bad thing, and hopefully GMPTE will drop it too and force the government into a re-think.

Believe me, the Big City Plan will have consideration for trams, and the political leadership in the council is for trams - they see the benefits, and they are acutely aware that every city that Birmingham positions itself alongside internationally has either a tram or an underground. The people at the top want the Snow Hill - New St spur opened as soon as possible, and they are looking closely at an airport/east Birmingham line.

I have done a little digging, and the area that the FRA is being carried out is on an old disused rail line (again) that isnt too far from walsall centre and feeds into the existing metro line from Brum to Wolves. The person I spoke to seemed to think that this was going ahead, but where is the funding coming from? Indeed, why would they commision such work at such an early stage, if there was no deal on funds?

This bothers me a bit. Granted it is better than nothing, but surely the success of a tram network is its accessibility, and its clean, safe travel. Disused rail lines don't really fit the bill do they?

What Birmingham needs is an underground railway system and everyone knows it!
We are the largest city in Europe without one and it's a disgrace.

I would love that to happen but alas I don't think it will, probably ever, because I don't think we have the urban density in many places. Still, we could try for a city centre network with a link to, say, Kings Heath as a starting point.

Also remember their bogus study into running the trams underground, that delayed the mid-met for a good while

It may have done but they were duty-bound to carry out the study as it was in their manifesto, and at least the study has been done.

I know people - hard working people - who have worked for centro. The problem isnt the ambitious schemes (ludicrous wast of tax payers money in your words), which the city NEEDS, its the lack of funds from central and local government to fund them. Lots of cities are getting trams/underground systems installed, or have done recently (e.g. Edinburgh, Manc, Bordeaux...), so why is this so absurd in your eyes?

Transport is the most important problem facing birmingham. I have difficulty understanding how this will be solved under the current (local and national) administration (s).

I agree Centro has some great staff, but I think its problems are in its leadership. I would almost advocate abolition and reinvention, since Centro has a tarnished name from in-fighting between local councils since its inception. There seems to be more of a spirit of co-operation now but it doesn't seem as if this has percolated down to the leadership of Centro.

If Central Government prioritised transport enough in this country (outside London), they would give PTE's more money or allocate more money to schemes directly. This boost could be the capital outlay for starting up schemes (building stations, tram lines etc) then the PTE's regular funding could be used for maintenance. The way it is at the moment, they just can't afford to do much :(

I've dug out some figures regarding maintaining Spaghetti Junction:

Cost of maintaining and repairing the Spaghetti Junction from 1 November 2006 to 1 November 2007: £827362.26

Projected costs for maintenance and repair of Spaghetti Junction for 1 November 2007 to 1 November 2008: £4671210.46

This figure includes provision for a scheduled structural repair contract and recent structural work carried out to the access road to the Aston Expressway from the northbound M6.

Number of days parts of the network were closed for maintenance and repair between 1 November 2006 and 1 November 2007:

In assuming ‘network’ to refer to the Spaghetti Junction itself, the number of total carriageway closures were:
a) 20 consecutive day/nights for refurbishment work, consisting of total closure of the M6 southbound carriageway, with contraflow on the northbound carriageway to avoid the
need for drivers to seek alternative routes. This refers to the tail end of a major resurfacing scheme that overlaps into the period.

b) 7 overnight closures due to planned works including emergency works

Details on the works on Spag Junction:

The Project
Where

Salford Circus Roundabout lies to the east of M6 Junction 6, Gravelly Hill, Birmingham. It connects Tyburn Road (A38), Lichfield Road and Gravelly Hill (A1527) with the M6 and the A38M into Birmingham.

When

The works are programmed to commence on 12 May 2008 and will last for approximately 17 months.

What are we doing?

The project is to repair eight concrete crossbeams that support the carriageway above the roundabout at Salford Circus. Four of these crossbeams are sited within the sunken pedestrian area and four on the inner paved section of the roundabout. Steelwork will be erected to support the carriageway above whilst the repairs are being carried out. The road markings around the roundabout will be altered and a 20mph speed limit will be imposed for the duration of the repairs.

Why do we need to do this work?

Due to the current condition of the support structures, it is necessary to repair them before the integrity of the slip roads above are reduced.

Limits of Work:

Additional lane closures on the roundabout will be in operation when the traffic management for the works is installed or removed. This will be carried out during night-time whenever possible.

Traffic Management

The hours of daytime working will be as follows:

Monday to Friday 08:00 to 19:00 hours
Saturday 08:00 to 13:00 hours

The hours of night-time working will be as follows:

Sunday to Friday 21:30 to 06:00
Saturday 21:30 to 24:00

Night-time working will be subject to agreement with Birmingham City Council.

The Salford Circus roundabout will have a further outer lane created but will lose the current inner lane during the works. This will maintain the two lanes of traffic around the roundabout.

A38 Tyburn Road heading into Birmingham City centre will have the dedicated left turn lane removed.

A5127 Lichfield Road heading out of Birmingham City centre will have the existing bus lane reduced in length and the offside lane approaching the roundabout will be closed.

Speed Restriction and Why

Speed limit on the roundabout will be restricted to 20 mph. This is to better control the flow of traffic and to provide a safer environment for the road users and work force.

Key Benefits for Public

The project is designed to conduct the repairs in such a way as not to affect the traffic flow on the carriageway above and to have minimal impact on the flow of traffic using the Salford Circus roundabout.

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/17690.aspx

From the Post


London Midland operator vying with Virgin for line
May 8 2008 By Jonathan Walker, Political Editor

Virgin Trains is fighting to keep its grip on the West Coast Main Line franchise after a rival rail operator launched a bid to oversee the next phase of improvements on the service.

Govia, which runs trains in the West Midlands under the London Midland brand name, is bidding for the contract to oversee the addition of 106 new Pendolino carriages to the line.

It will compete against Virgin, which has been forced to bid for the contract even though it is the West Coast Main Line operator.

Virgin fell out with the Department for Transport after it refused to introduce new trains and carriages on the service unless its franchise, due to expire in 2012, was extended by two years.

Ministers have decided to press ahead with new carriages for the Pendolino "tilting trains", which run between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, with or without Virgin's co-operation.

The DfT has commissioned 106 new carriages, which will allow four new trains to be added to the line and allow 31 existing trains to be lengthened from nine to 11 coaches.

Govia has now submitted a bid for the contract to prepare the carriages for use on the West Coast Main Line - placing it in prime position to bid for the West Coast franchise, which is due to expire on 2012.

The firm became Virgin's main rival in the West Midlands last year when it was awarded the franchise to operate services previously run by Silverlink and Central Trains, including regular services between London and Birmingham.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-transport-news/2008/05/08/london-midland-operator-vying-with-virgin-for-line-65233-20880507/

I know it's not news but Centro published this today.

Tram to be named after football legend Billy Wright

Wolverhampton Wanderers and England football hero Billy Wright is to have a Midland Metro tram named in tribute to him on Tuesday (13 May).

Bill WrightCentro, the region’s public transport authority, is holding a special ceremony with guests of honour, Vicky and Kelly Wright – the sporting star’s daughter and granddaughter.

They will unveil a commemorative name plaque on tram number seven, which has been painted in the new silver and magenta Network West Midlands livery.

Several of Billy’s former Wolves and England team mates (see analysis) are also attending the ceremony, which will begin at the Midland Metro depot in Wednesbury and conclude in Wolverhampton.

The decision to name the tram after Billy was made after Centro held a public vote to decide who would receive the honour.

The footballer defeated two other Black Country stars – Methodist preacher Francis Asbury and literary legend Jerome K Jerome – with an overwhelming majority of 90 per cent of the vote.

Councillor Gary Clarke, Chairman of Centro, said: “I used to attend all of Wolves home games when Billy was in his heyday. He truly was an inspirational local hero.

“I am proud and honoured to be naming a tram after him in recognition of his achievements and contribution to the West Midlands.”

As part of the ceremony, Derek Horton from Stafford is to drive the newly named tram after he was selected in a prize draw.

12 of the 16 vehicles have already been named in honour of other local legends.

Centro is now looking to name a further Midland Metro tram after a regional hero through another public vote, details of which will be available soon.

Since opening nine years ago Line One, which runs between Birmingham Snow Hill and Wolverhampton St Georges, has achieved 98 per cent reliability and is used by more than five million passengers a year – nearly a third of them former car users.


http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/C880370D-13D3-97AA-2D555F823C45FB2C/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

Centro - A quango formed for the employment of numerous failed Labour politicians who get paid large amounts of public money for sitting around thinking up ludicrous schemes to waste ratepayers hard earned cash.
Metro - see above.

The last time I saw an account of the Metro's finances it had lost £14,000,000 and had absolutely no chance of ever paying its way, let alone make a profit.
I can't understand why anyone would want more of these financial black holes.


Manchester (Irlam) Labour Loony Transport Boss Roger Jones was thrown out in the local elections - he was the chief advocate of congestion charging for Greater Manchester and an Independent anti-congestion charge candidate won his seat.
Interviewed while he was still shell shocked, he said he was going to have to look for a job - and he said he'd never had an actual job, he'd only ever worked in local politics!
I think I'll put down a fiver that Centro recruit him - he'd feel right at home in that organisation. :ohno:


I think your argument is sound personally. Assuming the financial losses are accurate then it is pretty hard to argue for expansion isnt it? The easiest smartest thing initial to do for public transport in this city is to reopen the disused train lines and (wait for it) run trains along them. Starting with Moseley/KH line. Quite why this hasnt happened I dunno - perhaps its due to people arguing interminably about bloody trams.

I've dug out some figures regarding maintaining Spaghetti Junction:

Cost of maintaining and repairing the Spaghetti Junction from 1 November 2006 to 1 November 2007: £827362.26

Projected costs for maintenance and repair of Spaghetti Junction for 1 November 2007 to 1 November 2008: £4671210.46

This figure includes provision for a scheduled structural repair contract and recent structural work carried out to the access road to the Aston Expressway from the northbound M6.

Number of days parts of the network were closed for maintenance and repair between 1 November 2006 and 1 November 2007:

In assuming ‘network’ to refer to the Spaghetti Junction itself, the number of total carriageway closures were:
a) 20 consecutive day/nights for refurbishment work, consisting of total closure of the M6 southbound carriageway, with contraflow on the northbound carriageway to avoid the
need for drivers to seek alternative routes. This refers to the tail end of a major resurfacing scheme that overlaps into the period.

b) 7 overnight closures due to planned works including emergency works

As a new type of paint will shortly mean that painting the Forth Bridge will no longer be, erm like painting the Forth Bridge, maybe we need a new saying?

"It's loike fixin spaghetti junction!"

:lol: Well, there already is the saying "There's more traffic here than bloody Spaghetti Junction" so maybe it could do with another one to compliment it! :)

Hang on a minute, is it not the case that something like 25% of all trips in the West Midlands are undertaken by bus, with about 5-10% by train and less than 1% by the existing tram route?

Should we not be putting more emphasis on high-quality bus corridors with significant priority (such as trams but 10x cheaper) and BRT and spend the £1bn, which is gonna give us a single tram route out to the airport, on citywide improvements which will have a much larger benefit on everyday people in the city an create modal-shift of 3-15%? - discuss if you wish.

Fair enough, but that is simply because there is only 1 tram line and 100s of bus routes...

But I agree, buses need to be improved. I think, however, that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way public transport in this country is run. In France, or Germany, for example, you can buy a ticket and travel anywhere around the city on bus, tram, or underground, changing several times if need be (within an hour) to get your destination... Thats how you get people onto public transport. Transport in all UK cities (I think) isn't intergrated - mainly because of the botched privatisation of the eightees (and people think this lot are bad...)

Sometimes this selfish little nation does annoy me.

^^I seem to remember reading that Glasgow's public transport system is integrated. They are working on Birmingham's too, but to what effect, I don't know.

Well there is hope then isnt there...

I think its a bit of a shame that in the sixties when they were digging holes for cars to drive underneath the city in, they didnt build a few tunnels for an underground system. that is never gonna happen now... oh well...

Well there is hope then isnt there...

I think its a bit of a shame that in the sixties when they were digging holes for cars to drive underneath the city in, they didnt build a few tunnels for an underground system. that is never gonna happen now... oh well...

One side of the city centre is apparently clay while the other is chalk, this would complicate construction and makes some elements unachievable.

Hopefully the introduction of smart cards should help? They have a cap on fares paid in one day in London with Oyster.

One side of the city centre is apparently clay while the other is chalk, this would complicate construction and makes some elements unachievable.

I'd revisit your geology Scaz. :nuts: No chalk near Brum.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/images/wmgifs/wmgeol.GIF

http://www.groundwateruk.org/images/faqs_regional_water_supply.jpg

Personally, I think that the big advantage that Trams have over buses is speed. To maximise the amount of passengers, buses don't take direct routes, and tend to stop very frequently. In some cases, every 100 yards or so! Whereas Trams (well, everywhere else outside Brum) get their passenger volumes by simply having greater space to carry more passengers

While I'm a big supporter of trams, they have to be done correctly. They should be on routes which aren't currently served by rail. The frequency of service should be at least one every 10 minutes at peak times, and sharing with other road traffic should be kept to a minimum.

More needs to be made of Park & Ride facilities, and more bus & tram stops need to also have bus stops in the vacinity.

The whole thing then needs to be tied together so that you only need buy one ticket, which could be done with a zoning system/Oyster type card.

Hopefully the introduction of smart cards should help? They have a cap on fares paid in one day in London with Oyster.

Tis fab. Oyster works just like a travelcard so if you only travel within say zone 1 and 2, once your payments equal the day ticket for that zone then the rest of the journeys are zero cost. Also Oyster fares are much much cheaper than cash fare.
Buses are fab too as it's 90p i think (was last time i paid attention) for as far as the route goes. Oxford Street to Forest Gate for 90p - :)

If you go down London and think you'll be visiting again I'd advise getting an Oyster card.

^^^ You can get visitor Oyster cards from the coach station. (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/visitortickets/5185.aspx)

ooh, not seen them before ^^. Mine's a standard Oyster which I top up as pay as you go anyway. Not worth direct debiting it unless I move to London.

Not sure if you can register that card but with ordinary one once you register it if it's stolen or lost etc you can get your balance back.

Ahhh Clay and Sand! Thats the one i was thinking about :nuts:

They have Octopus cards in Hong Kong, upon which Oyster is based :)

I smell a fishy theme ;)

Wonder what we could call the Midlands version, Pike Card ;) hehe.

Black Country bus services make welcome return

Bus passengers in the Black Country are to see the return of two services linking Dudley with West Bromwich and Oldbury.

The decision by Diamond Bus to run the 87 and the 74 services into Dudley was today welcomed by Centro, the region’s passenger transport authority.

From this Sunday (May 11) the 87 service from Birmingham city centre to Oldbury via Smethwick and the 74 from the city centre to West Bromwich via Hockley and Great Bridge will both continue on to Dudley.

The move is the result of requests raised by passengers at the Sandwell bus user’s conference in March and Sandwell councillor Roger Horton.

Diamond’s Commercial Manager Austin Birks said: “Being a local company we naturally listened to the community and have put the services back where they belong - in the heart of the Black Country.”

Cllr Horton, who is lead member for Sandwell on Centro, added: “I’m glad that Diamond was able to come to the bus conference and listen to people’s concerns and then act on them in such a positive way.

“The return of the 74 and 87 into Dudley is brilliant news for bus users not only there but also in Birmingham and Sandwell.”

To mark the launch of the two extended routes the bus company is offering a special fare discount called ‘The Dudley Diamond Demon Deal’ for people travelling on the 87 and 74.

This involves a £1 maximum adult fare (50p child) for any single journey on the above two routes. Passengers wishing to make more than one journey or use more than one Diamond service still have the excellent value £2 Adult Freedom day ticket offering unlimited, all day travel on any Diamond bus.

Mr Birks added: “We believe that we are offering our passengers great value for money and as a local Black Country business we really want to show our commitment to local people by giving them a real deal.”

The route changes are part of a comprehensive review of Diamond services taking place across the network. Passengers can phone 0121 557 7337 for more details.

Cllr Angus Adams, lead member for Dudley on Centro said: “This is a very welcome decision by Diamond and it will provide even more options for people travelling to and from Dudley.”

http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/CCCA1AED-13D3-97AA-2D7C0F8BC6D178F8/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

Talking of masshouse man ;) on Cube thread. Here's a quick photo from earlier of Snow Hill entrances.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/9MaySHent.jpg

That needs a caption!

"Come on mate, you can't do it all by yourself!"

I've had a flash of inspiration.

I thought of a cool new name for the metro, if it ever becomes an actual network.... Ready?

Birmingham Rapid Urban Movement.

Well, I thought it was good! :lol:

Article about Spagetti Junction repairs:

Repair work starts on Spaghetti Junction
May 8 2008 By Nick McCarthy


VITAL work to repair Birmingham’s crumbling Spaghetti Junction will begin on Monday and last for 17 months.

The work will cost £4.1 million and involve repairs to concrete columns and supporting crossbeams at Gravelly Hill Interchange.

Eight bridge deck supports and several columns at junction six of the M6, which are essential in maintaining Birmingham’s ageing motorway interchange, will be improved.

Work will take place below the bridge deck, so the M6 motorway carriageway will not be affected by the work, and the Highways Agency says it has worked closely with Birmingham City Council to ensure delays to road users are kept to a minimum.

Spaghetti Junction was opened 36 years ago this month, and is used by more 160,000 vehicles every day.

Moreblessing Pedhuru, Highways Agency project sponsor, said: "The programme of repairs will help to ensure the Spaghetti Junction slip roads supported by these columns continue to provide a safe route for drivers, and doing the work now will prevent further deterioration and more costly repairs in the future.

"We will repair eight concrete crossbeams that support the carriageway above the roundabout at Salford Circus. Four of these crossbeams are sited above the sunken pedestrian area and four on the inner paved section of the roundabout.

"We will install steelwork to support the carriageway whilst the repairs are being carried out. The road markings will be changed on the approach to and at the roundabout to maintain traffic flows, and a reduced speed limit will be in place for the duration of the repairs."

The M6 motorway will not be affected by the work and the Salford Circus roundabout will have an additional lane marked on the outside but will lose the current inner lane during the works.

This will maintain two traffic lanes around the roundabout so capacity will be remain the same.

The speed limit on the roundabout will be restricted to 20 mph and the A38 Tyburn Road heading into Birmingham City centre will have the dedicated left turn lane removed.

The existing A5127 Lichfield Road heading out of Birmingham city centre will have the existing bus lane reduced in length and the offside lane approaching the roundabout will be closed.

The work will be carried out Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. Night time working hours will be Sunday to Friday from 9.30pm to 6am and Saturdays from 9.30pm to 12:00. The night-time working will be subject to agreement with Birmingham City Council.

For more information about the work, call 08700 660 115 or www.highways.gov.uk.

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2008/05/08/repair-work-starts-on-spaghetti-junction-97319-20881552/

That needs a caption!
Message on door:

"At Cube site working on ramp, Masshouse next week. Call back in two weeks.


Sincerely,
Masshouse Man."

Article about Spagetti Junction repairs:

You might want to look on the previous page ;).

:gaah:
That is the second story that feltip has posted from the Post, that has been in the Mail a day later, sooo bloody annoying (and I didn't look cause I was too busy helping to get us in front of Liverpool).

:tongue3:

Is the Mail a dumbed down article for the masses ;)
I much prefer the Post though I do like a bit of sensationalist headline once in a while to go with the pictures :|

To be honest, online, I usually look at the Post first, although I do read the Mail in person (more of a habit than anything really).


I'm bored, neeeed chocolate.

Anyway, back to, erm, things etc... :dunno:

All night buses in Birmingham are being axed. This does not surprise me as nobody in this city has a f-cking clue regarding public transport. This country needs to get a grip on itself otherwise it will end up in the gutter. If anybody else from another city is reading this, do you have the same problems with getting public transport after 12 midnight on a friday or saturday??????????:bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash:

^^ Yes, they become hourly after about 6 and stop altogether at around half 11.

Last time I was in Glasgow and used nightbuses they were great.

Seems we just can't run them in Brum which is a shame. I'd hate to be a lateshift worker who doesn't drive as your screwed.

They're a godsend in London if you leave a club late.

They never ran a late 126. The last one is 11pm, however you usually get three buses turn up at 10:30 on broad street and none after.

All night buses in Birmingham are being axed. This does not surprise me as nobody in this city has a f-cking clue regarding public transport. This country needs to get a grip on itself otherwise it will end up in the gutter. If anybody else from another city is reading this, do you have the same problems with getting public transport after 12 midnight on a friday or saturday??????????:bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash::bash:

Why?

Birmingham Mail article on the nightbuses.


Late night buses in Broad Street to be scrapped
May 9 2008 By Neil Elkes

LATE night bus services from Birmingham’s Golden Mile have been suddenly scrapped due lack of interest.

The 10 night bus, launched with a fanfare just eight months ago, have proved a failure and been pulled.

But Broad Street bars have slammed the decision claiming that the summer months would have seen a massive growth in passenger numbers on the £2 a ride services.

They also criticised the bus company Rotala and transport authority Centro for cutting the buses without notice, leaving a handful of revellers stranded.

Mike Olley, of Broad Street BID, said: ""Not only have they not given us the chance to build the service, but they also scrapped it without warning. "We are really disappointed. Quite a few people were stuck waiting for their buses last weekend.

"In the warm summer months, people are prepared to wait 20 minutes for a bus, and this service would have grown. They would have made money on it, but they are not prepared to build the business."

The services cost a flat rate £2 a ticket or £6 for a group of four and ran between 1am and 3am at weekends.

The ten services included two subsidised by Centro and run by Central Connect buses, and eight commercial services run by Diamond Buses. Both companies are now owned by Rotala.

A spokeswoman for Centro said: "The patronage on our two services was very low. When Rotala cancelled the commercial services we could not justify continuing with the subsidised buses." No-one at Rotala was available for comment.

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/birmingham-news/2008/05/09/late-night-buses-in-broad-street-to-be-scrapped-97319-20887358/

Boost for threatened train line
Trains on an under-threat service between Walsall and Wolverhampton might not only be saved but doubled under plans unveiled today.

A 30 per cent surge in passenger numbers has been seen since the line was given an 18-month reprieve until December this year. The Express & Star revealed last week that it is estimated the service has increased to 60,000 passengers in the last year since 2005, up 30 per cent.

West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority chairman Gary Clarke has also said the service could be made to run every half-hour. A feasibility study on rail links in Walsall is due and could see the service doubled by 2012 following signal improvements by Network Rail and Wolverhampton’s transport interchange which will see a rebuild of the city’s railway station.


http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/05/12/boost-for-threatened-train-line/

Walsall line may be higher if they could fit everyone into the trains at New Street. Every day I see about 30 people not allowed on due to it being massively over-crowded.

Walsall line may be higher if they could fit everyone into the trains at New Street. Every day I see about 30 people not allowed on due to it being massively over-crowded.

What? People from Birmingham heading to Walsall?

As well as the trains from Brum to Walsall there is also the Chase line trains to Rugeley/Hednesford which stop at Walsall.

Update on entrances to Snow Hill

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/12MaySHent2a.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/12MaySHent2b.jpg

Slowly does it. I can't believe how long this is taking......didn't the channel tunnel take less time ;)

At least something's now happening with this, for ages it looked like they weren't doing anything at all.

I smell a fishy theme ;)

Wonder what we could call the Midlands version, Pike Card ;) hehe.

SQUID :)

If it provided a very safe service it called be called 'CHUB'.

^^ Yes, they become hourly after about 6 and stop altogether at around half 11.

Sheash, I'm shocked at that. Even the smallest of German cities tend to have night buses and the low frequency periods (every 30 minutes - 1hr services) don't tend to start until 20:00...

I always thought that Brum had pretty decent PT on the whole as whenever I've used it I've found it convenient, though things have probably changed since the end of 2004...

Very small-town minded. When will our transport bodies learn?

Time to re-regulate the buses and make companies compete for routes, and get decent subsidies going if necessary.

I like the sound of the following ..

Town plans two rail stations

Two new railway stations could be built in Walsall as part of bigger plans to overhaul passenger services across the borough and encourage more people to use public transport.

Pleck station, which closed in 1958, could be reopened and a new station built in Leamore as part of the ambitious scheme.

Plans are currently at a very early stage but transport bosses have said a study is due to be carried out looking at the rail network around Walsall and how it can be improved.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/05/13/town-plans-two-rail-stations/

The launching of the Billy Wright tram . There is a video too .

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/05/13/tram-honour-for-wolves-favourite/

I like the sound of the following ..

Town plans two rail stations

Two new railway stations could be built in Walsall as part of bigger plans to overhaul passenger services across the borough and encourage more people to use public transport.

Pleck station, which closed in 1958, could be reopened and a new station built in Leamore as part of the ambitious scheme.

Plans are currently at a very early stage but transport bosses have said a study is due to be carried out looking at the rail network around Walsall and how it can be improved.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/05/13/town-plans-two-rail-stations/


Good news.

Walsall Station is dingy, and the town would benefit greatly from a new, larger station :)

Bio , there won't be any change to the main station . These two stations are would be just outside the town centre .Or is your second sentence a comment on how the main station could also benefit from a revamp ?

Sheash, I'm shocked at that. Even the smallest of German cities tend to have night buses and the low frequency periods (every 30 minutes - 1hr services) don't tend to start until 20:00...

I always thought that Brum had pretty decent PT on the whole as whenever I've used it I've found it convenient, though things have probably changed since the end of 2004...

I presume being as your in Telford you were referring to Telford buses?

West Midlands buses (TWM) are very good and a large number of services run till midnight out of city and upto about 12.30am into city.

My hometown of Cannock is much the same as one bus an hour after 6 i think. on the route I would visit family.

I'd rather have our bus network than some of the other cities i've visited.

Bio , there won't be any change to the main station . These two stations are would be just outside the town centre .Or is your second sentence a comment on how the main station could also benefit from a revamp ?

Sorry - misread it :nuts:

But yes, Walsall needs a new Central Station. Ripe for an interchange :)

News coming through that Nottingham are NOT going for a congestion charge, and are going for a "working place parking levy".

Sounds much better to me - encourage commuters to take public transport.

Why restrict to working place though? I would say all public/working parking should have a levy. Residential no, and maybe hotels no, but shoppers can expect to pay a small surcharge.

Say a Bullring car parking space gets used 5 times in a day, it only needs to be 50p per person to make a helluva difference.

thing is shoppers don't have to go to town, workers do if they work in town, the option to switch for shoppers is far easier

But switch to where? That is the thing - even Merry Hill is charging. The intention would be to get people to use public transport - even for part of the journey e.g. park & ride

well the internet dont require people to move lol

I presume being as your in Telford you were referring to Telford buses?

West Midlands buses (TWM) are very good and a large number of services run till midnight out of city and upto about 12.30am into city.

My hometown of Cannock is much the same as one bus an hour after 6 i think. on the route I would visit family.

I'd rather have our bus network than some of the other cities i've visited.

Nope, I'm from Northampton and now live in Auckland (NZ) - bit off Telford! :)

The only reason I commented was based upon experience on the continent where buses don't go down to hourly frequencies in such a large city at night after 18:00!

Either way, I still like Brum.

It is a peculiarity of Brum that we go to 30 min or even hourly service on evenings and Sundays.

London has buses aplenty and places like Sheffield and Leeds IIRC have 20 min services on the main routes.

Brum's bus service is illogical, sporadic and pitiful in the large, IMHO.

from my experience they are good.....

getting to my parentshouse in harborne where there are three bus routes to their house 22, 23 and 29 all of which run ever 10-14 mins but are off set to runt hat one comes ever 3-4 minutes, and also in visiting my fiend in bearwood, again, the hagley road means i can get there on any number of busses which arrives every five minutes or so...

I think that gives a perfect example of the problem. Buses are run to maximise profit, by and large, and not serve communities. Why does Harborne need 21, 22, 23, 29 and 103 all running from the city centre? Why doesn't one or two take a different route?

In Birmingham buses are run very centrally with little cross-flow. It can be difficult to get from one centre (e.g. Northfield or Longbridge) to another in the same part of the city (e.g. Moseley, Kings Heath) without taking more than 1 bus or heading toward town.

Also it is crazy that so many buses terminate in town instead of passing through, thereby allowing some people to get from north to south on one route, and also meaning that Erdington - town - Northfield means that at some point, 2 buses are in town instead of one.

Compound that with some of the convoluted routes that the buses take through the suburbs and it just strikes me as ill-thought out.

Don't get me wrong - some services are great, but many aren't, especially late/early or at weekends/Sundays, and their time keeping can be horrendous.

In Birmingham buses are run very centrally with little cross-flow. It can be difficult to get from one centre (e.g. Northfield or Longbridge) to another in the same part of the city (e.g. Moseley, Kings Heath) without taking more than 1 bus or heading toward town.

Don't get me wrong - some services are great, but many aren't, especially late/early or at weekends/Sundays, and their time keeping can be horrendous.

Well you obviously don't use buses then. The number 11 connects most of the suburbs up in a big circular route without needing to go into city centre to go back out. Then there is the inner circle number 8 which does same but on crude middleway route.

As for services, do a check on the timetables and you will see most of the services week or weekend are much better than other cities.
There are few buses that run half hourly of an evening and if they do it's because there is another alternative bus that makes up the other half hour so you get every 15 minute service.

It's only when you visit other cities you think thank god our buses are as good as they are and affordable too. Be it by buying a daysaver, travelling the full length of a route for £1.50 or paying by direct debit which is ridiculously cheap.

My bone of contention is not late running it's early buses that you miss in the morning when there isn't another for 30 minutes and you need to get into town and then having to walk 15 minutes to catch an alternative route.

Where I live at moment there is one bus route on my road, one at top of road, three at bottom of road, then using 5 min connection I can get approx 10 bus routes.

You're very protective of buses feltip ;)

No, I don't use buses but I used to. It is one of the reasons I moved to the city centre - I was fed up of commuting and relying on irregular, dirty buses, and fed up of being late on evenings out for the very same reason.

The inner High Streets on radial routes are served very well - the Kings Keaths, Harbornes, Erdingtons, but get into the outer suburbs and the buses are (were 18 months ago) a law unto themselves.

I just don't feel the city is served very well by its buses. It's fine if you live in an area that is, but there are many areas that are ill-served.

You cannot get from Bearwood to Rubery very easily (no trains either), and on a Sunday it is almost impossible. Cotteridge to Handsworth is a nightmare, and Bartley Green to Kings Heath is difficult. They shouldn't be.

I have visited others cities and some are worse, and some are better, especially on evenings, mornings and Sundays. But that's not good enough - why shouldn't everyone be looking at Brum and saying "why can't we have a service like them?"

I have visited others cities and some are worse, and some are better, especially on evenings, mornings and Sundays. But that's not good enough - why shouldn't everyone be looking at Brum and saying "why can't we have a service like them?"

Because the only city in England that anyone says that about is London, and they have Transport for London, a government body that gets loads and loads and loads of government money. Centro could only dream of the same, centro are basically a publicly funded body that sit around trying to persuade private sector companies (twm, london midland) to ignore their profits and instead offer good services.

I have seen those stickers they now put on buses, "some routes operated by this bus are subsidised by centro" and I can only laugh, because I think to myself, hang on, this bus stops running before or around midnight, and that's all a subsidy gets you?! No nightbuses, no regular service until at least 1am? wow, amazing, thanks centro.

Birminghams buses are indeed better than most places, but that's not a sign of how good ours are, its a sign of how terrible they are everywhere else, I was in Leicester a few weeks back, and after 7pm half the bus services are down to one per hour!? That's just a joke, an absolute joke.

From something I read regarding London,TFL and buses the government is looking to model bus operations nationally on the London model.
I hope it happens sooner rather than later.

will see if i can find it as kept the article to post on here.

Found it.

Tiny bit that suggests hope.


Under him, London bus passenger numbers have risen 46% since 2000, while bus use is falling nationally. The local transport bill going through parliament will re-regulate buses with the intention of duplicating Livingstone's success around the country: that would never have happened without his lead, showing that local authorities need to control their own buses

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/29/london08.boris

end of the day, the reason why buses in brimingham are kind of crap is because of profit...all buses run to town because they make most profit, the further out u go the less buses you'll see, if u live in great barr, on the walsall road side, you are served with 2buses to get into town during the day and then one every 30mins at 6pm which then gets to one every hour at 7...you also look at every house and most have one car...and then we get told we should use transport..it just don't make sense.

i was watching something on tv a few months ago, they took a woman who goes to work but takes her children to school first, normally in the car it takes her an hour gettin up at about 6, using public transport she got up at 4 left at 6 to get to work for 9...that says it all really

Oh for an underground or metro or even more rail stations and lines.

The problem with buses is you share the road with other traffic and once there is a traffic jam your stuck in the same traffic jam as everyone else.

I wonder if we also suffer from any North-south divide of sorts. Underground is primarily north of the river in London and overground south of the river doesn't at present match frequency of underground.

That's why we need lots of lovely metro lines to serve the main towns in the suburbs, and lots of lovely buses to serve the resi areas, with lots of lovely rail/bus/tram interchanges :banana:

That's why we need lots of lovely metro lines to serve the main towns in the suburbs, and lots of lovely buses to serve the resi areas, with lots of lovely rail/bus/tram interchanges :banana:

^^ It really isn't rocket science is it? All held up because we have to keep going cap in hand to central government and beg.

^^ It really isn't rocket science is it? All held up because we have to keep going cap in hand to central government and beg.

It probably won't ever change, central government will either be Labour or Conservative, and neither of them are particuarly committed to allowing more tax and spend powers to local government, it all goes back to the 80's when Margaret Thatcher took all the powers away so Labour councils could stop underminig her national policies.

Birminghams transport will never be sorted out, because the only people who know and care about Birminghams transport needs don't have the power to do anything about it, because central government will just say no to any major infrastructure projects outside of London.

Look at new street station, it takes this long to get funding, and all we'll actually be getting is a glass roof and some more escalators, no real improvements in capacity, the station isn't going to be able to handle anymore trains, just manage the people using them more effectively. So in another 40 years time we'll be back in this posistion, a station that isn't fit for purpose. Maybe then we'll have a government that cares about anything beyond the M25, but I doubt it.

Everyone on here will probably be dead before we've got a network of trams and dedicated tunnels and stations for the cross city line.

But we'll have more buses at least, oh yes buses, hurrah, they'll tide us over 'til then...

Poked my camera through some gaps to see work on Snow Hill 2nd entrance. Looks like it could be a while still before this opens.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/16SHent1.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/16SHent2.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/16SHent3.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/16SHent4.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/16SHent5.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/16SHent6.jpg

From Construction News


Arup proposes Heathrow high speed rail
Published: 16 May 2008 11:20 Author: Andrea Klettner More by this Author Last Updated: 16 May 2008 11:43

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Arup has released its proposals for a high speed rail line connecting Heathrow to the north of the country.

The line would run as far as Edinburgh and Glasgow via Birmingham and Manchester.

Director at Arup Mark Bostock said: "The proposal to link Heathrow into the rail network would enable people travelling from some of Heathrow's principal markets to arrive at the airport by train.

"Moreover, these plans fit in with emerging proposals to extend high speed rail lines north. Looking to the future, we could see travel times from Heathrow to Leeds and Manchester by rail reduced to less than two hours."

Arup's proposal would also see Heathrow become the first stop on an extended high speed rail network that currently terminates at King's Cross St Pancras, which would link the airport directly with continental Europe.

The consultant has been in talks with BAA, airlines, local councils and Government about the plans.

Part of the work involved identifying more than 22 potential sites for the new terminal and settled on an area approximately 3km north of the existing T5.


http://www.cnplus.co.uk/News/2008/05/arup_proposes_heathrow_high_speed_rail.html

I see the government gave Manchester 255Million towards their metrolink expansion, so where is Brums slice of this money which it has been lobbying for over a number of years now. I wonder if its got anythink to do with the fact that ruth kelly is an MP for Bolton which happens to be in Greater Manchester????

Fingers crossed we'll get our bit...

Get ready to get cramp in your fingers then Bio, because we're not likely to get any money for trams from this crap Government. We've had our yet to be delevered handout in New St, so we'll be expected to get back in our box and shut up whilst labour massages it's heartland ahead of the general election.

Well, the West Midlands is apparently full of key marginal seats, so in theory we could be a target for pre election sweeteners... however, Labour might need to concentrate on hanging on in some of their nominally 'safe' areas first!

Residents’ views sought on congestion busting scheme

People in Sutton Coldfield are being asked for their views on plans for a congestion busting scheme which could take 10,000 journeys off the regions roads every year.

Centro, the West Midlands public transport authority, is looking to extend the existing Park & Ride car park at Chester Road rail station by creating an additional 38 spaces.

The organisation has purchased extra land for the scheme because the car park, which currently has 149 spaces, is regularly full leading to demand for additional parking facilities.

All of Centro’s 53 heavy rail Park & Ride car parks, including Chester Road, have been awarded the coveted Safer Parking Park Mark Award due to their low crime and high safety standards.

As part of the plans, the new spaces will benefit from extra CCTV cameras, a Help Point facility linked to the Network Safety and Security Centre and new security fencing to conform with the rest of the car park.

Centro is now seeking residents’ views on the proposed car park extension and is holding two exhibitions with representatives on hand to take people’s questions and comments.

On Saturday June 7, the Centro marquee will be located in the Chester Road Park & Ride car park between 10am and 4pm, and on Wednesday June 11 the Network West Midlands Exhibition bus will be there between 3pm and 7pm.

Leaflets with an attached questionnaire and prepaid envelope are also being distributed to local residents.

Following the public consultation, Centro hopes to submit a finalised design based on people’s comments for planning permission during July 2008. It is envisaged that works will commence in the summer of 2009.

At present the Sutton Coldfield area alone has over 920 free Park Mark accredited park and ride spaces taking nearly half a million car journeys off the road every year, and preventing more than 1,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.

Cllr Gary Clarke, Chairman of Cento said: “Park & Ride schemes are a key part of our goal to reduce traffic on the region’s congested roads, replacing the need for an estimated 2.75 million car journeys a year – the equivalent of 94 tankers of fuel.

“Many of our 53 rail station car parks are near to or at capacity, and that is why we have increased the number of free car parking spaces by 17 per cent since 2003 and are committed to providing even more.”

The Park & Ride car park at Chester Road has already been extended once before, during 2006, to give an extra 45 spaces. This extension was brought in two years ahead of schedule due to the popularity of the scheme.


http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/018DACFA-13D3-97AA-2D773692CFF11896/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

My mate's been working on the FOA proposal for New Street and told me all about it this weekend. Sorry for dangling a carrot but as it's not in the public domain I'm not going to say anything more other than it sounds BRILLIANT!!!

^^ FOA?

Foreign Office Architects :)

Thanks for the :carrot: Foxy :)

Foxy: Can you say if there's a highrise bit to it or not? :)

nah, it was the main body of the station.

:gossip: Think of a big chrome box with slashes in the roof to let light in. No more gossip! I'll get in trouble

Box?! Pssh, not interested! :tongue:

Oh, you know me and boxes ;)

Chrome is cool though :happy:

Sounds good :happy: I am looking forward to some cool designs for the station, should get something with a bit of architectural punch.

^^Architectural punch? You mean, like the Birmingham Fist?
http://tinypic.com/znlvr4.jpg
http://tinypic.com/znlv6w.jpg

Courtesy of Martin G? :)

WTF, that is fake write, it was never proposed was it?

No, it is not real, it is a mock up by Martin G (wherever he may be in the world), he did lots of things like this, most of us will remember the brilliant design he made up for Arena Central as well as this tongue-in-cheek one.

^^Aah, I almost wet myself when I saw his design for Arena Central - I thought it was real. But it really was fantastic. Wouldn't go as far as to say I prefer it to what we are getting now, as I think the V Building looks more modern. Martin's design was a tad 90s - but still very good! I just hope he's OK at the moment. It's worrying that he seems to be missing! :(

Anyway, something to make this post relevant!
Public transport exhibitions hit the road this Bank Holiday weekend

People wanting information on public transport services in the West Midlands can come along to two special exhibitions being held in Birmingham this Bank Holiday weekend.

Exhibition Bus SmallCentro, the region’s public transport authority, will be in Sutton Coldfield on Saturday (24th May) and at the Lord Mayor’s Show in Cannon Hill Park on Bank Holiday Monday (26th May) to provide information on bus, train and tram services in the region.

Staff will be on hand to answer questions on all aspects of public transport including the new National Concessionary Passes, journey planning, Real Time Information, Park & Ride and Ring & Ride.

People will be able to pick up a wide range of leaflets, including rail timetables, bus Map & Guides, and information about the Network West Midlands range of tickets and offers for school, work and leisure.

There will also be information on the new children’s website www.letzgogreen.org, which is a new fun, educational and interactive site designed to teach youngsters in the region about environmentally friendly travel.

Centro staff will be at Sutton Parade on board the Network West Midlands exhibition bus on Saturday between 9am and 3pm.

At the Lord Mayor’s show on Monday, staff will be available at the Network West Midlands marquee in Cannon Hill Park from noon until 7pm.

http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/06CE1E39-13D3-97AA-2D28C0D4120668B2/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

Noticed today that Centro are monitoring the usage of Acocks Green station (and probably a few others). I'm hoping they don't cut the service frequency, like they did at Lea Hall.

Update on Snowhill entrances.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/21MaySHent1.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/21MaySHent2.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/21MaySHent3.jpg

LOL, you could have posted a picture from a year ago and we would never know ;)

At least Masshouse Man has now found some friends...

Sense prevails...

http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/brum-red-route-confirmed-2205081.html

BRUM RED ROUTE CONFIRMED

22-05-2008



Birmingham City Council has confirmed that the congestion busting Red Route on the A34 will be made permanent next month – despite bitter opposition from traders in Sparkbrook.

Although the “no parking” zone has been welcomed in other suburbs, the inner city proved to be another matter altogether, with shop owners claiming they’d be forced to close unless shoppers could park in the vicinity...

Now, if there really is a parking problem it needs to be addressed, but the red route has to go ahead in the absence of a by-pass.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=21000248&postcount=1610 - my thoughts on how the chances of decent public transport is getting more distant in the current political climate.

Think it'll be even harder for the regions over the next decade or so with the current public view on taxes and government spending.

Update on Snow Hill entrance works.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/1junSHent2.jpg

Metro funds bid boss on £100k


A new £100,000-a-year director to chase funding to extend the Midland Metro will be appointed next month after council chiefs approved the release of taxpayers’ cash.

Wolverhampton City Council has agreed to provide office space for the newcomer, who will work under chief executive Richard Carr. The authority will pay £20,000 of the costs of finding and employing the director, with the rest of the funding being shared equally between councils in Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall as well as public transport body Centro.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/06/04/metro-funds-bid-boss-on-100k/

I know we don't like council tax increasing but I would be very happy for a £1-3 pound surcharge but included in the total which went solely for transport and ringfenced as such, say Metro or New Street etc. Couple that with tax raising powers locally to get business to pay towards transport which will benefit their businesses and then add the S106 agreements and you must have a pot to either use to match fund with government or to secure long term loans.

I hope and would expect to see some real progress with a director of this nature on the scheme.

Cheers for that Nacho.

Good news I guess, but BCC look conspicuous by their absence in that group...

Must be for the Wendesbury to Brierley Hill line.

I know we don't like council tax increasing but I would be very happy for a £1-3 pound surcharge but included in the total which went solely for transport and ringfenced as such,
Cheers for that Nacho.I don't think we can ask for such taxes unless we have an elected mayor.

Ironically following the Network Rail costcutting issue this is on BBC News


Rail services 'set for upgrade'

Many trains currently pass through Bromsgrove
Multi-million pound plans for a new railway station and faster and more frequent train services in north Worcestershire are set to be approved.

Under the proposals, expected to be approved by the rail regulator, the line between Barnt Green and Bromsgrove would be electrified by 2012.

The aim is to cope with more commuters as thousands of new homes are planned and also to better serve Longbridge.

Bromsgrove could also get a new station under the plans.

The plan are expected to get the green light on Friday when the Office of the Rail Regulator approves Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan.

It was submitted last year and the electrification project is one of several schemes contained in the document.

The last big electrification was in the 1960s, and it is more than 15 years since Birmingham Cross City Line was electrified.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/7438065.stm

The ORR wants Network Rail to do everything cheaper, so that'll mean squeezing contractors more probably....

Nice to see some decent noises about upgrades, told you Centro's 2020 plan was realistic!

I didn't think it wasn't. Just that Rome isn't built in a day.

Not directly related to Birmingham as the city pulled out of the bidding, but TIF is going to be approved by the DfT for the Manchester plans on Monday, this will be the funding model for major transport schemes in the regions for years to come I suspect.

Like we give a f...ck

You may not, but I know people like Bio are very interested.

It's very relevant to Brum, and the chances of Metro extension funding, and to think otherwise is naive in the extreme.

I think whatever happens with TIF is completely irrelevant to Metro. Birmingham will get the money in the future with or without conjestion charge. As I told you before Metrolink you don't seem to understand the way politics work in this country....

You also told us you were going to answer any questions we had about the TIF bid, and then failed to answer the very first one that was put to you.

(Having said that, please don't start a debate on the merits of the bid).

If that is your belief then fair enough, however, given past history, and the amount of time Birmingham has waited to get to where it is today, which isn't very far at all, I'd suggest your belief may be formed more on hope than anything else. No one is able to point to any reliable way of funding their transport in the UK outside of London, the guarentees are just not there.

given past history

That’s were you get it wrong Metrolink, I bet none of these 10-15-20 year plans you base your prediction has provisions on changes in consumer trends, rising petrol prices, introduction of electric an hybrid cars etc.

Take my opinion rising petrol prices will push the public transport agenda much higher than before increasing it's budget for Metro extensions round the country.

You may not, but I know people like Bio are very interested.

It's very relevant to Brum, and the chances of Metro extension funding, and to think otherwise is naive in the extreme.

Me too. I find it fascinating and a good test for Greater Birmingham and other conurbations.

Here's MEN article about it.


City gets the Green Light

David Ottewell (david.ottewell@men-news.co.uk)
7/ 6/2008

THE GOVERNMENT has given the green light to Greater Manchester's £3bn plan to revolutionise public transport - but only if a controversial congestion charge scheme is introduced.

Transport secretary Ruth Kelly is expected to announce on Monday that her department WILL fund a package of proposals that includes a massive extension of the tram network and huge investment in trains and buses.

In return, Greater Manchester would introduce a peak-hour charging system of up to £5 a day at current prices, based on inner and outer `rings' around the city centre.

The news brings to an end a year-long wait to hear if the government would provide the cash.

It will also spark a bitter political row between Greater Manchester's 10 councils, who will decide whether to accept the deal in a crunch vote before the end of the year.

Split

Businesses and the public also appear to be split down the middle on what is believed to be the biggest economic decision the region has ever faced.

The 10 councils will carry out a three-month public consultation before a crunch vote on whether to press forward.

Current voting rules mean at least seven of the 10 local authorities will have to say 'yes' for the charge - and investment - to go ahead.

Three councils - Trafford, Bury and Stockport - have already withdrawn their support, while Bolton has promised to hold a local referendum.

Greater Manchester's charging scheme would consist of an outer ring around the M60 and an inner ring nearer the city centre.

Vehicles would carry special tags that would register when a ring was crossed. Charges would apply towards the city centre during 7am-9.30am, and out of the city centre between 4pm and 6.30pm.

Scope

The overall charging zone would be 12 times bigger than London's when it was first set up.

The £3bn bid requested £1.2bn from the government's transport innovation fund (TIF), plus permission to borrow £1.8bn more.

That will be paid back over 30 years from the proceeds of the charge.

Sources in the Department for Transport (DfT) have made it clear TIF money would only be made available to areas prepared to bring in congestion-charging schemes.

Ten places expressed an interest - but only Greater Manchester and Cambridgeshire have submitted formal bids.

Greater Manchester intends to use the cash to complete the Metrolink "Big Bang", with lines running to the airport, Oldham and Rochdale town centres, and the Trafford Centre.

Infrastructure

There would also be major investment in buses and trains, as well as hundreds of new park-and-ride spaces and electronic tickets that can be used on all forms of public transport.

Transport chiefs have pledged the majority of the improvements would be in place before the charge was introduced - probably at the end of 2012.

Supporters of the bid claim growing congestion could put at risk 30,000 of the 210,000 new jobs due to be created in the region by 2021.

They say TIF is the only substantial cash available to British towns and cities for major investment in public transport.

Opponents say the charge will drive businesses out of Greater Manchester and into the hands of rivals like Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham.

An exclusive MEN poll found 64 per cent of people were opposed to the idea of a congestion charge. But 59 per cent said it was `a price worth paying' for improvements to trams, trains and buses. Thirty nine per cent said a charge WOULD change the way they travelled.

A DfT spokesman declined to comment last night on when and if an announcement on the bid would be made.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1053043_city_gets_the_green_light_

Well we will see if it works, I don't think to many businesses will leave, but I have a feeling this will be a stone around Manchesters kneck for many years to come.

Update of Snow Hill entrance work.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham/8juneSHent2.jpg

With transport cost spiraling out of contril I think to ask people to pay extra is just madness. Businesses will suffer, out of town locations become more attractive and the problems just move elsewhere...

You may not, but I know people like Bio are very interested.

It's very relevant to Brum, and the chances of Metro extension funding, and to think otherwise is naive in the extreme.

I am interested :) and glad to see you back Metro - your last posts in your former life were all doom and gloom about TIF and now look what's happened! :)

It will be interesting to see how things pan out between our 2 cities. It is certainly giving Mcr a publicity boost at c-charging is perceived to be a progressive thing atm.

I am confused about one thing though - these 'rings' are mentioned - presumably the inner one is a higher charge and the outer a lower, but why does it need all of GM to ratify rather than the individual councils concerned?

I thought it was busy corridors that were going to be charged?

Now the real battle begins - the government has formally said the money is there but now the councils will have to agree to it.

Good luck with it - I personally feel it is the wrong path to be taking, especially for Birmingham and the Black Country but I wish Manchester well, and if it proves a huge success maybe we will follow course :)

but why does it need all of GM to ratify rather than the individual councils concerned?


I presume this is because it forms part of the LTP (Local Transport Plan) which are usually agreed at county council level, yet in the case of an area with Metropolitan councils such as GM or WM then this county level role is devolved to be carried out jointly by all the Local Authorities in the area. Ergo this sort of strategic policy will need to be agreed at that level, after all it affects a much wider community that just Manchester as it predominantly affects commuters from all over GM.

Thanks :)

The Independent article on Manchester's charge.


The Big Question: Does Manchester need a congestion charge, and will it spread elsewhere?

By Paul Vallely
Tuesday, 10 June 2008

Why are we asking this now?

The Government yesterday announced funding for Britain's biggest road-pricing scheme yet. Based across Manchester, it will be 12 times bigger than London's when it was first set up. Although its charges will be lower than London's – up to £5 a day rather than £8 – a far greater proportion of the city's 2.5 million citizens, about 20 per cent of drivers, will have to pay. Unlike London's scheme, which taxes movement in general, it will only affect drivers entering and leaving the city over five hours at the beginning and end of the day. It will add about £1,200 to the motoring costs of tens of thousands of drivers.

Is Manchester really that congested?

Not compared to London. Its rush-hour lasts for only about 40 minutes, and figures produced by the urban traffic control unit in the city show that congestion in 11 of the 14 centres of Greater Manchester has fallen since 2001. But local politicians have been convinced that the city centre is heading for gridlock in years to come.

What does the plan involve?

Two rings will be established around the city. It will cost £2 to cross the outer motorway ring-road, the M60, and then £1 to cross the inner ring road, between 7am and 9.30am. In the evenings, it will cost £1 each to cross the two roads between 4pm and 6.30pm. Charges will be levied by electronic scanning of tags attached to windscreens. Five years on, a GPS satellite-tracking system would be introduced which could charge by the mile. In return, a £3bn package will be approved to improve public transport, with extra buses and new tram and railway lines to the City of Manchester Stadium, the Trafford Centre and many other parts of the conurbation.

Isn't this a huge investment in public transport?

Yes, although only £1.2bn will come from the Government's Transport Innovation Fund. The rest will be borrowed by Mancunians and repaid from the £180m per year profit that the congestion charge will raise over 30 years. Critics argue that this is wildly over-optimistic, saying that London's charge fails to make anywhere near that amount. They say as much as £2.68 of the £5 charge will be paid to the private company running the scheme, which will cost £470m to set up. Opponents also argue that the private companies which run Manchester's buses will not run services in poorer areas.

Do local people want it?

Not really. Depending on which poll you believe, the city is either split down the middle or largely opposed. A Manchester Evening News poll found that 64 per cent of people were opposed to a congestion charge. But 59 per cent said it was "a price worth paying" for improvements to trams, trains and buses. A survey by the lobby group Manchester Against Road Tolls suggests that 80 per cent of the population are against the scheme.

Local business is split too. The Greater Manchester Momentum Group is against the idea, saying it will be bad for the economy at a time of rising fuel prices and falling house prices. They fear it will turn the city centre into a ghost town, with shoppers migrating even more to out-of-town retail parks and companies moving out of the central zone to avoid the charge. A YouGov survey of 1250 chief executives, directors and managers suggested that four out of five businesses opposed the plan. But there is a vocal business group called United City supporting the scheme. Its members include three of Manchester's biggest property developers, alongside various surveyors and construction associates who, critics suggest, have strong funding ties to local councils.

The green lobby is divided. Some campaigners point to health improvements from reduced pollution but others claim that the city's diesel buses are part of the problem, not the solution. Piccadilly bus station in central Manchester is reportedly the second-most polluted place in Britain, where buses produce high levels of sooty emissions linked to respiratory problems such as asthma.

Hauliers are deeply opposed to the charge, claiming that plans to install bus lanes on 25 routes into Manchester will halve road space. Civil liberties campaigners have objected to the prospect of satellite-tracking.

So who does want it?

Local politicians. They foresee faster journey times, health improvements and fewer road accidents and more jobs. Congestion is a hidden tax which will cost 30,000 jobs in the next 15 years, claims the Manchester City Council leader, Sir Richard Leese.

Will the scheme go ahead?

Seven of the 10 local authorities in Manchester have to vote in favour of the deal. To date, three councils – Trafford, Bury and Stockport – are opposed or have withdrawn their support after surveys showed most residents and businesses were against the proposals. A fourth, Bolton, has promised to hold a referendum. Three months of consultation must now follow.

Will the charge spread to other cities?

When the Transport Innovation Fund was announced, 10 councils expressed interest – but only Manchester and Cambridgeshire submitted bids. A Bristol and Bath congestion charge could be in place within six years, with a £1.4bn TIF bid being considered. A £4 charge would operate from 7am to 10am but not in the afternoons. Birmingham and six other West Midlands metropolitan councils dropped plans after splits among politicians and fears from business leaders that the idea would be bad for the region's economy and disastrous for the competitiveness of local industry.

Could Labour lose votes over it?

Many Labour MPs fear so. The chief proponent of the Manchester scheme, Roger Jones, who was the Labour chairman of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, lost his council seat last month to an anti-charging candidate. Labour was trounced into third place.

Opponents of the scheme have already threatened to unseat the Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, who is the MP for Bolton West, at the next election. Her opponent will be Susan Williams, the Conservative leader of Trafford Council, who opposes the plan.

With a majority of only 2,000, the smallest in the Cabinet, Ms Kelly may have decided that she will probably lose her seat anyway. Approving congestion charging for Manchester, residents fear, may be a decision to go out in a "blaze of glory".

Is it right to demand payment to drive into the centre of Manchester?

Yes...

*If it accepts the deal, the city will receive a £3bn investment that will transform its public transport system.

*The risk of not accepting the scheme is the loss of some 30,000 jobs.

*The scheme will bring more reliable journey times, health improvements and fewer road accidents.

No...

*Unlike London when its scheme was introduced, traffic levels in Manchester are falling – not rising.

*The true cost to people living in Manchester will be far higher than the Government claims.

*It will turn the city centre into a ghost town – driving shops, businesses and customers to out-of-town retail outlets.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-big-question-does-manchester-need-a-congestion-charge-and-will-it-spread-elsewhere-843568.html

Ta for that feltip. Not exactly a cast iron case is it?

I am in mixed minds on this... Manchester is pretty congested and I can understand the desire to get investment into public transport... also most people who drive could take public transport either directly or via a park and ride system... we don't have a god-given right to polluted the air and congest the roads... on the other hand, for such an ambitious scheme, I think that Manchester deserved more and should have got an (at least partially) underground system... Manchester (and Brum) are big important cities and deserve something like an underground...

Birmingham Post article, on a tangent.


A journey to world class travel in the West Midlands
Jun 10 2008

Spiralling oil prices, rocketing costs for raw materials and ferocious competition from across the global economy.


Business leaders warn that West Midland companies are being pushed to the “absolute edge” with manufacturers in particular struggling to hold on to both domestic and overseas orders as costs for materials, energy, components, shipping and freight rise relentlessly.

If that isn’t bad enough, the local economy is also losing an additional, yet potentially avoidable, £2.2 billion a year as a result of congestion.

All this at a time when the region is striving to achieve ambitious targets for new housing and jobs, improved productivity and reductions in carbon emissions.

Businesses could be forgiven for throwing their hands up in despair. Yet only last week, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICA) said that, despite the gloom elsewhere in the UK, its latest data showed that business confidence in the West Midlands was picking up.

At the same time, the Engineering Employers Federation reported that the region’s firms were continuing to invest despite the difficulties they face.

Such dogged determination is typical of the spirit and energy of the West Midlands – and that’s exactly what’s needed if we are to safeguard our future prosperity and environment.

Transport has a huge role to play in the fight against climate change and in protecting and growing our regional economy over the years ahead. It is this goal that underpins the work of Centro, the region’s passenger transport authority.

Its aim is to provide a world-class integrated transport system that can access jobs, combat congestion and offer seamless connectivity to UK and overseas markets for both people and goods.

Such a system is vital if the region is to cut its carbon footprint and achieve its targets of 180,000 new jobs, 365,000 new homes and a £10billion per annum increase in Gross Value Added (the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector) by 2020.

While research shows that present levels of congestion in the West Midlands are not deterring business or investment, our snarled-up roads are still costing companies and our environment dear.

And with congestion forecasted to rise year on year, it will threaten our global status unless tackled. That’s why Centro is working hard in partnership with the seven West Midlands district councils, businesses, regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, local bus and rail operators and other stakeholders to transform our transport infrastructure.

Centro’s chief executive, Geoff Inskip, explains, saying: “We realise we can’t do everything at once and that’s why the region has identified nine transport priorities that need to be delivered.

“Funding for the first, the Gateway scheme at Birmingham New Street Station, has already been secured and that is a major boost for the city region.

“But we are also making progress in putting together and delivering other parts of our integrated transport strategy designed to improve bus and rail services and persuade people to choose more sustainable ways of travelling such as walking and cycling.

“The transport system we are working towards will link people seamlessly to where the jobs are to be found and at the same time connect companies to larger and more skilled pools of workers.

“That, together with a reduction in congestion, is essential if we are to improve the competitiveness of our region, stimulate regeneration, attract new investment and enjoy a greener and cleaner environment.”

One of the nine most important transport strategies for the region is the expansion of the Midland Metro tram system. Centro and its partners are working on securing funding for two initial extensions, one from Birmingham Snow Hill station through the city centre and a second from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill via the Merry Hill shopping complex.

A study by independent experts at the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) concluded that the two extensions could create up to 5,300 sustainable new jobs and boost the region’s economy by an extra £178million a year, recouping the construction costs in just three years.

Meanwhile, the region’s local rail services have seen a dramatic rise in popularity and now carry 35 million passengers a year, 55 per cent more than a decade ago. Demand for the train is set to grow even further and Centro recently published its rail blueprint which sets out its plans for a network that can enhance the region’s competitiveness and cater for continuing passenger growth.

It improves access and connectivity by lengthening trains, building new stations and park-and-ride facilities and opening up new passenger lines, especially into Moor Street Station.

The plans would give areas such as Moseley, Kings Heath, Castle Bromwich and Castle Vale their own commuter rail services.

Last year, Centro signed a groundbreaking partnership agreement with the region’s biggest bus operator, National Express West Midlands, under which six key bus routes were transformed to provide faster, cleaner, more reliable and frequent buses.

The improvements have already resulted in an increase in passengers on these routes in excess of the 10per cent target laid down by Centro and National Express.

Centro is now working with local authorities and bus operators to reproduce these improvements on a wider scale.

Regional partners have also been developing schemes to tackle congestion and improve traffic flows including Red Routes, Active Traffic Management and Urban Traffic Control.

“It’s not just about putting the transport infrastructure and services in place,” says Geoff. “It’s also about encouraging and educating people to make smarter choices – opting for more sustainable modes such as public transport, walking or cycling.

“That’s why we are working with employers, schools and communities to produce tailored travel plans.

“There is much still to be done, but we believe we are on course to provide a world-class public transport system that will enable the region to realise its economic goals while making it easier for people to leave their cars at home. The recent increases in petrol prices, together with warnings of £6 a gallon by the end of the year, have already seen many car commuters consider turning to public transport with passenger numbers on our local rail network continuing to grow month on month.

“Businesses have been looking at our joint rail blueprint with Network Rail and operators and recognise the train’s importance in connecting people to jobs and moving freight between the West Midlands and other parts of the UK and Europe.

“As the cost of oil continues upwards, it’s clear there is no time to waste in bringing on stream these improvements to rail and public transport in general.

“There is an urgency for the region to concentrate that renowned spirit and determination and speak with one voice to secure the world class transport system we need and deserve,” says Geoff.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/gogreen/2008/06/10/a-journey-to-world-class-travel-in-the-west-midlands-65233-21053365/

Birmingham Post article with regions response to Manchester TIF and charging


Birmingham business 'won't suffer from loss of transport funds'
Jun 11 2008 By Duncan Tift, Business Staff

Business leaders in Birmingham have maintained the decision not to introduce road pricing in exchange for Transport Innovation Fund cash will not harm the region’s economic development.

Greater Manchester is pressing ahead with the scheme and will receive £2.8 billion towards funding public transport improvements.

The Department for Transport has created the £2 billion Transport Innovation Fund to offer funding to areas wanting to develop and implement road-pricing schemes as well as to improve public transport services in areas with road pricing.

However, earlier this year, councils in the West Midlands ruled out road pricing. Leaders of the seven metropolitan councils claimed they were not convinced congestion charging would be beneficial for the region.

They said it could damage economic competitiveness, particularly in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, and it was unlikely that better public transport could be put in place before any charging pilots began.

The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the feeling in the West Midlands was that charging people to drive into the main conurbations would have an adverse effect on local businesses and harm the region’s competitiveness nationally.

Chamber policy adviser Katie Teasdale said: “We were at the forefront of the work that examined whether road pricing was a viable option for the West Midlands and to put it bluntly, the research undertaken suggested there was no competitive advantage for Birmingham arising from the proposals.

“It is not surprising given the huge size of the investment that Manchester will receive that there are a few recriminations flying around today but it is right, having discovered that road pricing would not work for us at this point in time and outside a national scheme, that we focus on what transport infrastructure development we do need and how we can fund that.”

She added it remained disappointing that the Government was distributing vital funds only where authorities would introduce road pricing regardless of wider need.

“We need to respond positively to this as a region and work together to be more innovative in terms of acquiring funding for larger schemes,” she added.

The Chamber said there was still plenty of work to be done to ease congestion and plenty of cost-effective ideas that could be implemented in the short-to-medium term.

Conservative leader David Cameron has said that the West Midlands councils should have access to the £2 billion TIF pot regardless of whether they want to progress congestion charging.

He accused ministers of blackmailing councils by trying to force them into introducing road-pricing against their will.

Meanwhile, passenger transport authority Centro said the decision not to pursue TIF funding was based on technical evidence contained in the report ‘Tackling Congestion, Delivering Growth’, which showed that road pricing was not suitable for the city region at this time.

“The evidence found that road pricing in the region would deliver mixed results in terms of reducing congestion. It also found that, in some parts of the city region, competitiveness could be damaged by road pricing,” Centro said it a statement. This decision was based on the specific transport circumstances of the West Midlands and has no bearing on decisions for other regions.

“The region is currently working to deliver a transport system to support the region’s ambitious strategy for growth, housing and regeneration and is looking to build upon the success it has had in terms of inward investment and securing funding for major transport schemes, such as the Birmingham International Airport runway extension, railway investment and the Metro extension,” it added

http://www.birminghampost.net/birmingham-business/birmingham-business-news/2008/06/11/birmingham-business-won-t-suffer-from-loss-of-transport-funds-65233-21055825/

Supposed to post this a few days ago.

German technology offers exciting transport opportunities

New railway technology in Germany has the potential to help deliver a world class public transport system for the West Midlands and extensions to the Midland Metro tram system.

A delegation from Centro, the region’s passenger transport authority, has just returned from a fact finding trip to the German city of Kassel to see first hand how trams and heavy rail share the same tracks.

The system uses new technology to run trams, traditional passenger trains and freight services on the same track. It offers some exciting possibilities for the Midland Metro extension plan, which is of nine transport priorities for the West Midlands.

The technology also has some positive implications for plans to increase capacity on the West Midlands rail network. In Kassel, passenger numbers have increased by up to 25 per cent since the track sharing scheme went live.

One possibility that Centro will now explore with the seven district councils, Network Rail, train operators and other stakeholders is the potential to share the planned Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension with rail freight services.

That would remove the need to build a separate heavy rail track alongside the tram, significantly reducing construction costs. The line could also be extended through to Stourbridge Junction where it could connect with the national rail network

Cllr Angus Adams, Lead Member on Centro for District Liaison and Metro Extensions, said: “This visit showed us that not only can trams and passenger trains share the same lines, but there is also considerable mixed running with freight.

“We were very impressed with the extensive Kassel system, which is helping people to support the environment by leaving their cars at home.

“There are significant opportunities to use this kind of technology throughout the West Midlands where better use could be made of our railway lines which would reduce the cost of future rail and rapid transit routes."
http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/59553ECF-13D3-97AA-2D70A149DBAD5709/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

That is fantastic news Erebus :banana:

Get moving, get moving.

As they say, killing two birds with one stone.

We need to start the expansion soon otherwise our public transport will be rubbish compared to MCR and if the knock on effect hits business then we need to sort it now.
We're getting the runway extension but we need the trams too.

btw, have Centro revamped their website and logo.

Looks much cleaner and crisper than the yellow and green one.

http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/images/_eng/logo.gif

Terry Grimley's comment on the MCR TIF and Congestion Charging.


Terry Grimley: Manchester's public transport billions are death knell for Brum
Jun 11 2008 By Terry Grimley

Will plans for congestion charging in Manchester turn out to be a disaster for Manchester, or a disaster for Birmingham?

Since the plans announced by the Government on Monday are not due to be implemented until 2013, the jury is likely to be out for a number of years. And then, since the general consensus is that Labour is unlikely to win the next election, a question mark must hang over the whole enterprise.

But at the moment, the debate seems intriguingly balanced. Where councils in the West Midlands couldn't agree a congestion charging formula to put to the Government's Transport Innovation Fund, Manchester has come up with proposals which would only penalise traffic going with the flow into and out of central areas in the morning and evening rush-hours.

In return, it is being rewarded with £1.2 billion in Government grants, plus an additional £1.8 billion loan, opening up the prospect of a region-transforming £3 billion to spend on developing public transport.

Not surprisingly, views on the plans have divided sharply into two camps. Those opposed to them claim that Manchester's economy will suffer a major setback while those supporting them, including transport secretary Ruth Kelly, point to 30,000 future jobs at risk from growing congestion.

Local politicians are divided, with Stockport, Trafford and Bury having withdrawn support for the scheme and Bolton promising a public referendum.

Personally, I don't know enough about the particular circumstances of Manchester to be able to give an informed opinion. But my gut instinct is that much of the negative response is likely to be knee-jerk conservatism of the sort that insisted, for instance, that the introduction of a minimum wage would lead to mass unemployment.

The question is whether the trade-off between congestion charging and improved public transport will speed up or slow down Manchester's renaissance. What I see is 22 new miles of Metrolink and other rail and bus improvements added to a network which is already far ahead of Birmingham's.

In ten years' time Manchester will have a highly-developed public transport system while in Birmingham more and more of us (car ownership is said to be increasing by 25 per cent per decade) will be trying to squeeze our cars onto the same amount of road space.

For it's surely clear that New Labour now has no intention of funding expansion of the Midland Metro. What would be the point of rewarding city A for jumping through a hoop and then rewarding city B for refusing to do the same? By not voting for the carrot, Birmingham has voted for the stick.

One should never underestimate the power of the road lobby, and perhaps Manchester's plans will still be derailed. But if not, I am inclined to believe that its calculated risk will end up cementing its position as England's true second city.

Perhaps Manchester could win the jackpot if major public transport schemes are given the go-ahead over the next two years (I expect work is already poised to begin on those Metrolink routes) and it is then relieved from having to implement congestion charging when it is scrapped by an incoming Tory Government. Shadow transport secretary's Theresa Villiers' description of Labour's tactics as "bullying, pure and simple" seem to have laid down a clear line on that one.

And yet, of course, congestion charging is a good thing in its own right. For some reason, the motoring "community" is invariably excused from taking a wider view, to factor in such trivial issues as saving the planet, in pursuing its inalienable right to cheap fuel and the freedom to drive where it likes.

Meanwhile the Black Country local authorities have shown which way they think the wind lies by clubbing together to pay a fundraiser £100,000 to find ways of funding the Metro extensions. The fact that Birmingham is not contributing shows the priority given to public transport by the hilariously mis-named "progressive" partnership of Tories and Lib Dems.

Campaigners against congestion charging in Manchester have targeted Kelly, who has a majority of just 2,000 in Bolton. But some are speculating that the very narrowness of her majority has inspired Ms Kelly to go down "doing the right thing" ahead of her inevitable demise. Funnily enough, on this very page two weeks ago I was suggesting that Gordon Brown should do the same thing, devoting his final two years to properly sorting out the railways, with comprehensive electrification.

It is certainly odd, in these dying days of New Labour, to see it under fire for doing something vaguely socialist. The paradox is that it has done it in such a way that advocates of public transport investment in the West Midlands may feel they have little to lose by voting Conservative.

http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/more-columnists/2008/06/11/terry-grimley-manchester-s-public-transport-billions-are-death-knell-for-brum-65233-21057738/

Presuming anybody can afford petrol to drive anywhere in 2013.

I hate to say it - I'm deeply opposed to congestion charging in principle - but given the alternatives MCR may have jumped the right way.

Without decent public transport of sufficient quality to attract the broadest demographic in mass and coverage, Brum's current aspirations will be worthless dreams I'm sorry to say, with the cost of motoring going ballistic.

I want to cry. Look at the plans for Manchesters Metrolink and we are still faffing around with our Metro.

http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/8286/futuretramsof1.jpg
taken from Chogmooks post on http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=21603212#post21603212

Yes. Dispiriting.

Good for them though.

Hopefully it will make our lot pull their fingers out.

NO CONGESTION CHARGING EVEN IF I HAVE TO WALK TO WORK EVERY F...ING DAY

They'll probably charge you for that if they can. After all you might wear the pavement out.

^^:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Congestion charging just wont work in birmingham yet. all it will do is make money, no1 will stop using a car because during busy house buses just go passed you at the stop, trains...well the stations aren't in great easy to reach places, if you live in great barr you have no station, bus services do not serve the outter areas well enough. and its far to expensive to get public transport when you look at the pros and cons of having a car instead.

Depends how you cost it.

My TWM Direct Debit bus pass costs £38 and is valid all of West Mids excluding Coventry and includes Cannock too which is my family home.

If you were to use bus five days a week at daysaver of £3.00 you save £22 a month plus even more if you use it on weekends plus if you use more than two buses on any day.

We have a good base to work from, we need to work out how we fund public transport improvements and network increases.

Trams have advantage of not being stuck in traffic like buses so i'd love to see the network developed on scale of Manchesters.

Just look at that metro link map... Are us brummies finally going to smell the coffee? Or stick our heads in the sand?

Love my city, but I can't help that the moto "forward" is becoming more and more ironic, given our unprogressive outlook.

The days of motorcities are over...

A Thought which occured to me about this today on the way home from work...

Can our region afford another MG Rover?

LandRover's factory would fall inside the C-Charge zone if we had one the same as Manchester (i.e. charge £2.50 for everyone going inside the M6/M5/M40/M42 ring)

Jobs at Lode Lane and Castle Bromwich are only guaranteed for 3 years. There are 8,000 employed at Lode Lane. Any increase in operating costs could send them, (and potentially also sister company Jaguar) elsewhere.

MEN blog article that refers from Skyscrapercity with the post article Terry Grimley wrote.


C charge: Birmingham missing out?

Skyscrapercity.com points me towards this article in the Birmingham Post.

Columnist Terry Grimley asks whether the West Midlands missed a trick by not bidding for cash from the transport innovation fund, even if price was congestion charging.

He concludes they probably did.

"One should never underestimate the power of the road lobby, and perhaps Manchester's plans will still be derailed," he writes. "But if not, I am inclined to believe that its calculated risk will end up cementing its position as England's true second city."

It's a curious thing. Personally, whenever I weigh up the merits of Greater Manchester's bid, I find myself having to hold in check that part of me which is impressed by the fact that while others talk, we get on and do.

That attitude has brought us a lot of success. It isn't in itself an argument for the £3bn in return for congestion charging, though. Jumping down waterfalls may be great fun, but there's always the chance that one day you'll land on a rock.

Just to nail one innocent (but wrong) fantasy that rears its head in the Birmingham piece. There is absolutely no prospect that the Labour government will let us spend £3bn, lose the next election, and be replaced by a Tory administration committed to scrapping the charge.

Some £1.8bn of the spending is a loan, after all, which will need to be paid back with profits from the scheme.

Even if the Conservatives are instinctively opposed to the charge, they will be far more instinctively opposed to writing off nearly £2bn of public money.

http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/politics/2008/06/c_charge_birmingham_missing_ou.html

http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/meet-the-twittering-buz-droiver-1306081.html

http://www.thestirrer.co.uk/meet-the-twittering-buz-droiver-1306081.html

I've been reading it for a while now.

It's awesome, especially for getting the drivers view on passenger behaviour and what they would like passengers to do, for instance when flagging down buses.

Update on Snow Hill entrance. Not sure if anything changed from my last snap.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham%202/14junSHent.jpg

I've been reading it for a while now.

It's awesome, especially for getting the drivers view on passenger behaviour and what they would like passengers to do, for instance when flagging down buses.
Always remember to say thank you too.

it's automatic for me, from how I was brought up. Good manners cost nothing.

Although i end up saying thank you twice as i tend to say 'cheers thanks', :|

Double post.

There was a big article on this in The Post over the weekend.

Strangely the council love it but the Chamber of Commerce are luke warm.

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/News/2008/06/plans_for_high_speed_rail_outlined.html


Plans for high speed rail outlined

Birmingham and London could be the first UK cities to be linked by a domestic high speed rail service according to a body set up to promote such schemes.

Greengauge 21, a group of rail specialists established in 2006 to look at the development of high speed rail links across the UK, proposed the London-Birmingham link at the Railway Forum's high speed rail conference last Friday.

The organisation will investigate funding options as well as consulting widely on developing five high speed rail corridors:

London, Birmingham, Manchester;

London, Cambridge north-east;

London, Bristol/Cardiff

Trans-Pennine

Anglo-Scottish

Greengauge 21 director Jim Steer said: "This programme is designed to answer the questions that ministers and others raise about high-speed rail. We start from a perspective that this is all about achieving sustainable growth for the economy of Britain as a whole, rather than just a narrow concern about rail capacity, important though that issue will no doubt continue to be."

Speaking at the conference in Birmingham, Eurostar chief executive Richard Brown said that the next step would be finding a political champion to back the case for high speed rail.

He said: "There are two things we need to do. The industry needs to make the case for it, which we're in the process of doing. We also have to build up a broad coalition of organisations and people who share the same view.

"There are enough far sighted people in this country that someone will come and pick it up."

The Conservative party and the Liberal Democrats have both pledged their support to the idea.

From the Stirrer in the Post


Brum's missing the bus
Jun 19 2008 By The Stirrer


BIRMINGHAM council leaders have been talking up the prospect of a high speed rail link to the Continent, but when it comes to public transport the city is still travelling in the slow lane.

In fact, give it ten years and the Second City will be lagging behind the Black Country. Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Walsall are all clubbing together to hire a project manager to promote the expansion of the Metro network.

They know the government's not going to stump up the cash, so are trying to find it from other sources.

Brum isn't contributing a penny, though, so while its citizens are being encouraged to dream of reaching Paris in three hours, they'll soon be taking that long to cross their own gridlocked city.

http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-blogs-views/birmingham-mail-columnists/the-stirrer/2008/06/19/brum-s-missing-the-bus-97319-21105312/

Just look at that metro link map... Are us brummies finally going to smell the coffee? Or stick our heads in the sand?

Love my city, but I can't help that the moto "forward" is becoming more and more ironic, given our unprogressive outlook.

The days of motorcities are over...

The last thing I want is congestion charging, but Manchester have been given £3 billion!!! to expand the Metro etc. Don't have to start congestion charging till the money is spent, and will only be operating the congestion charge for a couple of hours in the morning and evening. I hope BCC knows what its doing and as some hidden plan to do something "POSITIVE", because the whole transport issue in Brum,a city I really want to see progress, makes me want to cry. if I see one more bloody "red Route" i'll go nuts, so pathetic for a city our size:bash:

They should do Sky shuttles or even start with underground for major routes, start with one line first and take it from there...lol...

It pains me to say it , but we've really been left behind in the transport stakes .Manchester has been ahead of us for some time but last week's announcement has finally sealed it and it will leave us reeling for many years to come .

Birmingham has been down this road before and it looks like it is being looked at again .

German technology offers exciting transport opportunities
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New railway technology in Germany has the potential to help deliver a world class public transport system for the West Midlands and extensions to the Midland Metro tram system.

A delegation from Centro, the region’s passenger transport authority, has just returned from a fact finding trip to the German city of Kassel to see first hand how trams and heavy rail share the same tracks.

The system uses new technology to run trams, traditional passenger trains and freight services on the same track. It offers some exciting possibilities for the Midland Metro extension plan, which is of nine transport priorities for the West Midlands.

http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/59553ECF-13D3-97AA-2D70A149DBAD5709/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

From the Independent.
2 HSL to Birmingham potentially :)


Plans for huge rail expansion unveiled

By Jane Merrick, Political Editor
Sunday, 22 June 2008

Plans for the largest railway construction project in more than a century will be unveiled tomorrow.


Network Rail is planning five new high-speed main lines by 2025 to provide desperately needed extra capacity on Britain's busiest routes. The firm will commission a feasibility study for new tracks and a major expansion of the use of high-speed trains.

The lines will run parallel to the West Coast mainline to Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, the East Coast line to Edinburgh, the Great Western to Bristol, the Midland mainline to Sheffield and the Chiltern route to Birmingham.

The past decade has seen passenger numbers increase by about 40 per cent, with more people using the service than at any time since 1946. Numbers are expected to swell by a further 30 per cent in the next 10 years, and by 2025 capacity on the current network will be full.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "There is a huge case to be made for an expansion of the network.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/plans-for-huge-rail-expansion-unveiled-852026.html

Sounds good but I have little faith that these will be delivered, especially by 2025!

Given the option of spending a huge amount of money on mainline rail or on local rail/metro/tube lines I would go for the latter every time. Having much improved commuter lines which people could use every day is more important to me than high speed rail links. If I go to London for a meeting or leisure, it doesnt really matter that much to me if it takes 2 hours or 1 and a half. In fact these links probably encourage further centralisation of wealth, jobs etc in the S East?

Nothing much seems to be happening anymore with Snow Hill entrance. Not much has changed so far.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham%202/22junSHent.jpg

i still don't get whats going on or how in the world this is suppose to work once open

you'll go in entrance on Livery street through tunnel under the viaduct then catch lift or I presume escalators? up to the platform.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-transport-news/2008/06/23/rail-review-to-look-at-five-new-main-lines-65233-21136591/

Rail review to look at five new main lines
Jun 23 2008

Rail bosses are to look at the possibility of building five new high-speed main lines as part of a review of the network's future, Network Rail has said.

Network Rail said it was to commission a study which would look into the feasibility of new lines along the UK's busiest routesv - including the West Coast line and Chiltern route - in what would amount to the largest track build since the 19th century.

The review, which will be announced on Monday, will also assess the need for high speed trains similar to the French TGV to cope with Britain's growing number of rail users...

The independent article I posted on that Bio above ^^ notes excitingly we would potentially get two HSL to Brum, shadowing the Chiltern and WCML.

The independent article I posted on that Bio above ^^ notes excitingly we would potentially get two HSL to Brum, shadowing the Chiltern and WCML.

Such good news you posted it twice :carrot:

hehe, it wasn't supposed to do that but it's all exciting.

Manchester looks like going it alone then.


Cambridgeshire County drops its C-charge plans
By Simon Binns


Cambridgeshire County Council has dropped its plans to introduce congestion charging, leaving Greater Manchester as the only region bidding for money from the government’s Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).

It had asked for £500m of government support but has withdrawn the request after it did not receive enough support from businesses or the public. The council will now put together a commission to develop plans for extra public transport investment.

Conservative Councillor Jill Tuck, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council , said “We have listened carefully over the last few months and it is clear that the Transport Innovation Fund scheme we put forward for consultation last autumn does not have sufficient support either from other key organisations or the public and needs, at the very least, refinement.

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080624/FREE/689843438/-1/breaking/-/-/cambridgeshire-county-drops-its-c-charge-plans

Every decent government would cancel the whole scheme when only one city is willing to go ahead with Congestion charging......oh stupid me, I forgot "decent government"... :bash::bash::bash:

Biggest concern I would have right now about the Manchester Scheme? I think I read that they are going to borrow £2BN towards it. Two words. Credit. Crunch.

Nothing much seems to be happening anymore with Snow Hill entrance. Not much has changed so far.


People working shocker......

http://www.scphoto.co.uk/pages/galleries/buildings/pictures/snowhillstation.jpg

Well possibly discussing potential work. Plus there's a wheelbarrow and bucket, now that has to be progress.

Cheers GT.

Looks like the delay has been solved, they're building it using bucket and spade ;)

Good news for those needing to use New Street tomorrow (today)


Stations strike called off

By Alan Jones, PA
Wednesday, 25 June 2008


A planned 24-hour strike by hundreds of staff at 17 of the UK's biggest railway stations was called off today.


Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association and Rail Maritime and Transport union were due to walk out at noon tomorrow in a row with Network Rail (NR) over reorganisation plans.

The TSSA said it had reached agreement with NR on a no compulsory redundancy deal covering staff reorganisation at the stations, while talks will continue over pay and conditions.

Stations affected include Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and London's Kings Cross, Euston, Waterloo and Victoria.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stations-strike-called-off-854016.html

Snow Hill entrance update

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham%202/29JunSHent1.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b141/Feltip/Construction%20Bham%202/29JunSHent2.jpg

Snow Hill entrance work seems to be painfully slow progress, to my memory they've been working on this for the best part of two years. They certainly started before work began on the Snowhill development/road changes. I read a sign in Snow Hill Station saying completion was expected by autumn I think (it was an old sign I'm guessing this estimate has been rehashed a few times since then!) Anyone know an opening date. Running late and (I'm guessing) hugely over budget?

Sorry - bit grumpy, it's frustrating to watch...perhaps I should find something better to do with my time!

Anyone else find it incredibly depressign that this is the only construction project currently under way for transport in our city?

hopefully not for long though ;)

New Street is on the horizon. Although what's happening to coach station.

and then there was the metro :|

Yes I do!

Evidence for my point re: progress. A photo from October 2006, ...they certainly build roads, offices and apartments faster than train station entrances!

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn97/BrumBrian/DSC00334.jpg

The rumour is HBG messed it up the first time and so have had to start again.

To minimise costs they will have a skeleton staff doing this part until the lifts/escalators are ready to go in.

Centro has a new website:)

http://www.centro.org.uk/corporateinformation/home.asp

It's had it for a while as I commented on a post Erebus made last month when I noticed the old yucky yellow and green centro logo had turned blue.

It's much more slick as previous website felt a little 80's.
:)

Thought you chaps may find this of interest. Outlines new rolling stock to be allocated to LM by DfT under HLOS - follow-on builds of 350's and 172's to deliver additional capacity.

http://www.wmra.gov.uk/download.asp?id=3247

The 17x3-Car 323's from Manchester have already been detailed but the slides suggest a further 4x4-Car 350s and 26 additional Class 172 vehicles (13x2-car?) will be on their way by 2014 at the latest.

These are of course on top of the new replacement stock ordered by LM as part of the franchise bid.

It'll never happen:


Call to nationalise M6 Toll

Jul 14 2008

The National Alliance Against Tolls has renewed its calls for the M6 Toll to be taken over by the Highways Agency.

Motorists are avoiding the road, leaving it “virtually empty”, according to the group.

A spokesman said: “Traffic will be lower on many roads due to high fuel prices, but the West Midlands continues to suffer congestion while there is this virtually empty motorway.

“If the toll were removed then the road could take all the through traffic. It is a mystery why motorists and businesses who are paying a billion pounds a week in roads taxes have to continue to suffer.”

The comments come after quarterly figures released on Friday revealed a downturn in daily traffic on the toll road compared with 2007’s figures.
Midland Expressway Ltd reported average daily traffic rates of 41,635 for the period April 2008 - June 2008, a 13.2 per cent drop on traffic levels in the same quarter last year.

The NAAT yesterday said average traffic rates from July 2007-June 2008 show that “the road has had its worst year since it opened at the end of 2003.”

However, Midland Expressway Ltd pointed out that some of last year’s daily traffic rates were “positively impacted” by roadworks on the M6 motorway from October 2006-July 2007, making comparison with this year’s rates difficult.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-transport-news/2008/07/14/call-to-nationalise-m6-toll-65233-21336332/

^^ Pity. People might actually use the bloody thing in sufficient numbers to justify it's existence then!

Ever noticed on a map how it pretty much follows the A5? Total waste of money - They should have spent the money on the Metro instead.

Yeah but that stretch of the A5 isn't all dual carriageway and it was built at time when the metro extensions were the next stage of metro.

A lot can happen in small amount of time.

If it were to be nationalised and we had the Western Orbital then you would get a proper motorway ringroad for Greater Birmingham in same was M60 for Manchester or M25 for London.

Is there any chance of the Western orbital route ever happening? It would be a great benefit to Telford.

Well I know they are working on better junction between M6 and M54 at 10A but I guess it's been shelved indefinitely for now.

Yeah I know of that. Its supposed to link the 54 with the northbound M6 which for some reason they didn't think of doing when it was built :nuts: Last time I heard though it was still going ahead...

I meant the West Orbital been shelved indefinitely.

Yeah the common sense junction that was never built :ohno: should still be happening.

Also Hamburger junction for Junction 10 at Walsall.

Connecting Wales to BHX


Direct Wales To Birmingham Rail Link Announced
Tuesday 15th July 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Passengers wishing to use Birmingham Airport will be able to use a brand new train service in the latter half of 2008 when a direct link from mid Wales to Birmingham Airport will be operated.

The current route run by Arriva Trains Wales ends at New Street Station but will be extended to Birmingham Airport. According to Arriva Trains the operator will also be adding a service from Chester to Birmingham Airport from December 2008.

http://www.compare-airport-parking.co.uk/news/916/Direct-Wales-To-Birmingham-Rail-Link-Announced.html

Ahh yes, I saw that on BBC Shropshire earlier, that should also benefit Telford :happy: We'll finally have a direct link to an airport.

Yeah but that stretch of the A5 isn't all dual carriageway and it was built at time when the metro extensions were the next stage of metro.

A lot can happen in small amount of time.

If it were to be nationalised and we had the Western Orbital then you would get a proper motorway ringroad for Greater Birmingham in same was M60 for Manchester or M25 for London.

Would have been much cheaper, and much less disruptive to dual carriageway the A5 along the M6T's route than building the M6T. The Toll road is simply unecessary.

Of course that's far too easy Blah :| ;)

The problem with the A5 and roads such as Brum's ring road is that there are often roundabouts to negotiate where flyovers are a better (but uglier) option. Motorways are rapid roads with priority.

Of course that's far too easy Blah :| ;)

:lol:

From the Post


West Midlands to get £819,000 for transport improvements
Jul 16 2008 By Jonathan Walker, Political Editor

The West Midlands has been given £819,000 for transport improvements as a reward for controlling congestion.

The cash will go to Centro-PTA, the Passenger Transport Authority for road management schemes or public transport projects.

Average journey times per passenger fell by 2.3 per cent over the past two years in the region, the Department for Transport has said.

Ministers announced the funding as they confirmed previous-announced funding of £6 billion across the country to improve the nation’s transport system.

Long-awaited work to increase capacity on the M6 between Birmingham and Manchester was included in yesterday’s announcement, but only as one of a number of schemes being “considered”.

Options include widening the motorway by building extra lanes, or allowing motorists to use the hard shoulder in certain circumstances, a system known as Active Traffic Management.

Hard-shoulder driving at peak times has already been successfully tested on the M42 near Birmingham and the Government did confirm plans to extend it to other parts of the country.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-transport-news/2008/07/16/west-midlands-to-get-819-000-for-transport-improvements-65233-21355116/

Full list of Planned Road Improvements - http://www.birminghampost.net/news/2008/07/16/list-of-planned-road-improvements-65233-21355141/

From the Mercury:


Plans for £30bn high-speed rail link

Jul 18 2008

A plan for a new £30 billion high-speed rail line linking the Midlands to Heathrow has been unveiled by councils opposed to the airport's proposed expansion.

Running along the line of the M1, the route would make it easier for people in the region to get to Heathrow, reducing the need for internal connecting flights.

The group says its plan differs from other high-speed line proposals in that it aims to connect more UK cities and ensures Heathrow is fully joined to the new network.

Drawn up by chartered civil engineer Colin Elliff the plan envisages a single England-Scotland spine route and several spurs that would reach out to major cities including Birmingham.

Edwards Lister, leader of Wandsworth Council which is part of the 2M Group, said: "We are delighted to publish these proposals because we want a debate. We have a Government that can't see further than the next runway.

"It's time for some imagination in UK transport planning. We don't pretend for one minute we have all the answers but at least we're asking the right questions."

Richmond Council leader Serge Lourie added: "The country's roads are grinding to a halt and all ministers want to do is put more planes in the sky and more cars on the ground.

"Even expanding just the existing Heathrow runways would bring another million road journeys. The real demand is for sustainable transport options that actually help people and businesses move around the country."

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2008/07/18/plans-for-30bn-high-speed-rail-link-66331-21366972/

Cheers for that Neil.

Looks like as soon as Network Rail started officially musing HSL everyone wants one or thinks their route is best.

Yeah, but I thought the ideology is slightly flawed, the same old nimby thing, send all air traffic down south, but this means spending £30b will mean a greater proportion of the midlands wealth ending up down south, as lots of people will need to go there to do business and to travel instead of doing it directly in the midlands.
The HST route doesn't help us in this really, but as part of an overall plan of needed airport expansion, but also halting additional unneeded airport expansion, it would work.

There is a balance, and I hope we end up getting it.

Striking buses to revolutionise Black Country travel

People in the Black Country can get a taste of things to come from today (21 July 2008), as a new era of bus travel takes to the region’s roads.

The Diamond bus company has launched the first of its state-of-the-art Black Diamond buses meaning passengers can travel in style and comfort, on striking new black, silver and red vehicles with dedicated, friendly drivers.

Five of the 33 eye-catching new buses started turning heads today, going into operation on the 404 bus route from Walsall to Blackheath and Merry Hill via West Bromwich.

http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/44E206D4-13D3-97AA-2D77D451F3C43116/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

Striking buses to revolutionise Black Country travel

with dedicated, friendly drivers.

http://centro.journalistpresslounge.com/centro/news/index.cfm/fuseaction/details/id/44E206D4-13D3-97AA-2D77D451F3C43116/cnt/1/ref/main/type/News%20Releases/ses/1.cfm

Makes you wonder who drives their buses at the moment :|

Five of the 33 eye-catching new buses started turning heads today, going into operation on the 404 bus route from Walsall to Blackheath and Merry Hill via West Bromwich.

Huh? They have been on the roads for weeks now.

From Building Magazine


Carillion awarded £96m Birmingham motorway deal
24 July, 2008

By Sarah Richardson

Highways Agency traffic management project aims to reduce congestion on motorways around the city

Carillion has won a £96m contract from the UK Highways Agency to provide traffic management systems aimed at reducing congestion on the motorway network around Birmingham.

The project, known as Birmingham Box Active Traffic Management, will involve the installation of gantries, signage, safety fencing and other technology to increase the capacity on sections of motorway around Birmingham.

This includes variable speed limits and hard-shoulder running on M6 junctions 4-5 and M6 junctions 8-10A, and variable-speed limits on M40 junction 16 to M42 junction 3A and M42 junction 7 to junction 9.

Work is expected to start in autumn 2008 and finish in spring 2011.

John McDonough, chief executive of Carillion, said: “We are delighted to have won this important contract, which builds on the extensive maintenance and other technology services we provide for the Highways Agency.

“We look forward to working with the Highways Agency to deliver the new systems, which will relieve congestion for drivers on these busy sections of motorway network.”

http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=284&storycode=3119036&c=0

^^Good stuff!

More speed cameras then!

More pains in the backside that have proven time and time again that they are utterly useless at doing anything other that screwing drivers out of more money then!

Fixed. ;)

welcome to Birmingham Snow Hill ...;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/woodhousen/snowhillview.jpg

if i knew what joshing was i would tell you!

welcome to Birmingham Snow Hill ...;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v441/woodhousen/snowhillview.jpg

Please tell me you weren't joshing! :uh:

You been playing with the computer again Woody!

Nice one - you've even got the "n" logo on the sign in reverse! Clever!

tell me what joshing is and ill tell you lol....

yes this is my work, but this ISNT just for my benefit and they DO serve a purpose even if it only early days!

Nice and spacious .

why thank you, its nice to know my design is appreciated.... will give you gus more when ive finished my proposals in the next few days!

there brief was to "make snow hill station into a viable 2nd gateway station into birmingham"

tell me what joshing is and ill tell you lol....

yes this is my work, but this ISNT just for my benefit and they DO serve a purpose even if it only early days!

You tease :)

i know.... eat me!!!!

lol

why thank you, its nice to know my design is appreciated.... will give you gus more when ive finished my proposals in the next few days!

there brief was to "make snow hill station into a viable 2nd gateway station into birmingham"

Excellent,

just Moor Street to re sort out after ;) with HSL platform.

It's very smart Woody :),

i'd take a look at http://Londonconnections.blogspot.com too for ideas as blogger has a lot of info on the redevelopment of London network with info on stations, line upgrades etc and there are some bits you could steal from down London for our own stations :) simple things that the provinces still don't seem to have picked up on.

Looking very snazzy there! I would just make the roof higher if I were you, or give it more texture so it is not so flat. Just a couple of thoughts! But I still think it's great! :)

thanx for the feedback, will feed back into you guys when i have finished my first designs

Lorries set to share bus lanes

Lorries could share bus lanes as part of a congestion-busting scheme unveiled today to cut traffic on Walsall’s main roads.

The plan has been revealed as part of revised proposals for a controversial red route on the A454 Wolverhampton Road, following a raft of issues raised by residents and motorists.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/07/28/lorries

so how about this then...

i accept in urban desing terms and architecture terms in average at best, but what i am promoting here is the principle that the redevelopment of the station can be funded by the creation of space above the station.. these scheme has over 1,500,000 sqft of space!!!!!!

[taken them out now after your sneaky peak]

Well you've sold me on it Woodie.

If I had a few hundred million spare, I'd back it!