Birmingham Transport

[Doyle]

from
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/...l&siteid=50002

London grabs Brum rail cash

Feb 4 2006

By David Bell, Birmingham Mail


MILLIONS of pounds earmarked to rebuild Birmingham's dingy New Street Station has been moved to help London build for the OIympics, it was revealed today.

As a result of the cash grab, it could be another decade before work starts to redevelop the overcrowded main line station, labelled Britain's worst.

West Midlands MPs are being mobilised to spearhead protests against the spending freeze imposed on an image-improving project which has become Birmingham's top priority.

"We have been knocked by the Government because all the available capital is going to build Olympic facilities for London," said the city's deputy leader Paul Tilsley.

"Even if the decision was reversed now you are talking about a minimum of seven years to see the start of the reconstruction of New Street Station. The need for investment in this busy rail hub is desperate - it is a run-down and neglected facility which projects a bad image of the West Midlands in general and Birmingham in particular.

"Everybody in Birmingham recognises the importance of this New Street Station rebuild and hopefully as a result of the pressure it will climb up the ladder of Government priority."

The council itself has guaranteed £2.5 million extra this year to progress design work on the project in the hope of a Whitehall change of mind.

But new Government spending plans reveal it will not be until 2014 - long after the Olympics - that the bulk of the £130 million of public money allocated to the project will be spent. Another £51 million is not allocated until 2016.

"The dream of a rebuilt New Street Station is slipping," said Coun Tilsley. "I wish we were looking at a more simple solution, but it is now looking like a very long-term project for Birmingham."

[woodhousen]

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!

[Doyle]

You say it Woodhousen ... assuming it's accurate and not just cheap journalism ...

I sense a civil war looming

[cookoid_0]

I hope this is some kind of sick joke.

[pirlo_21]

nope i bet you its true, in the last few weeks all we have heard about the new street development is negative stuff

[Steve-e-b]

We can only hope it's a cheap dig a central government, but it wouldn't be surprising if it were true.
Civil war wouldn't be far wrong. The problem is us Brummies are so used to this kind of disappointment and betrayal we wouldn't say or do anything. Maybe that's why funding has been withdrawn in the past and why we almost half expect it in the future.

[Bachy Soletanche]

And the Liverpool Tram, and the Manchester line extention, Sheffield and Leeds Trams, UK money, all going to East London, and the Bloody olympics.

[Steve-e-b]

The Birmingham metro extension might get the thumbs-up ... the southern terminus has been moved to West Ham

[Biosonic]

I suspect it is (not necessarily cheap) journalism aimed at the government. The clamour will grow and the DfT will be forced to make a statment. If they do and it is not to our liking, all hell will break loose. I suspect they won't though. I suspect the money has been found and things will be announced this spring/summer.

If they try to delay things, I say BCC should close New St on safety grounds and cripple the rail network for a day. See how quick they'll find the money then.

[woodhousen]

i have written a letter to the mail stating how if this is indeed true then this is one of the most short sighted judgements by the government. i will to be very supprised if it is totally true but birmingham new street is well to advance for the governemnt to pull out its funding just like this. either the council will ahve allowed for such a thing or this has been drawn into the plan and the public has not been told. however, they can not just pull out.

however, as bio states, all hell will break loose. i too would suppost BCC closing New street for some select days and to encourage both central trains and virgin xc who are both based at new street to go on strike. it would cripple the entire country.

i have also stated that for the governemnt to consider not investing in ns until after the olympics is stupidly short sighted as in an age of terror, the governemnt would be potential doing the terrorists jobs with the potential for disaster to strike, esp when you consider it is no beyond reason to suspect during the olympics, pax levels at ns will b at an all time high!!!!!

[woodhousen]

heres an idea of all the services that would be effected if the closure of new street ever occured. you can see what range this would cause.....

the north east would be practically cut off from the south west and although the north west would be able to get to the south east via the lichfield line, the increased capacity would not be able to be accom..... pure chaos

[woodhousen]

heres an idea of all the services that would be effected if the closure of new street ever occured. you can see what range this would cause.....

the north east would be practically cut off from the south west and although the north west would be able to get to the south east via the lichfield line, the increased capacity would not be able to be accom..... pure chaos

[brummad]

why dont we mobilise and block new street on a sunday afternoon thru monday morn...that way we will catch all the northern mps plus shut the system down....then just simply say...build us a new station or this will happen without the need for intervention

[Sonny97]

Can't say Im not surprised by this sudden change in financial priorities. Birmingham has been shafted by the "Invisible Force" that is London on at least 1 or 2 ocassions in the past:-

Millenniuum Dome
National Stadium (65% of the UK public voted in a BBC poll supporting Brum)

And there's always been the problem of funding expansion of NS in the past as well, yet any spare cash to introduce four tracks going into NS as opposed to just two have been diverted towards various rail projects in the SE serving the Channel Tunnel.

So it should come as no surprise that yet more allocated funding for the regions has been rediverted to the SE. Is it any wonder southerners see the provinces as a cultural backwater when we don't ever seem to get a fair share of the national loot both in terms of government money and national lottery proceeds

[pirlo_21]

Millenniuum Dome

well thank god we never got that

[woodhousen]

lets just see what comes of it......

[Biosonic]

Originally Posted by pirlo_21

Millenniuum Dome

well thank god we never got that

WE would have made it work.

WE would have delivered the National Stadium on time and on budget (and half the budget).

WE are the key to getting train delays down.

Are WE the only ones who can see that?

[Metrolink]

You do all obviously realise that BCC have no control whatsoever over NS, and as such would have no way of 'closing it down'.

They would not even have to power to blockade the entrances to the station, they simply don't have that type of power - the police would move any protestors on if there became an issue of accessing the staton.

There is also obviously no desperate need for the trains to stop there, they could keep going and have the staff changes at a different station.

[Biosonic]

Originally Posted by Metrolink

You do all obviously realise that BCC have no control whatsoever over NS, and as such would have no way of 'closing it down'.

They would not even have to power to blockade the entrances to the station, they simply don't have that type of power - the police would move any protestors on if there became an issue of accessing the staton.

There is also obviously no desperate need for the trains to stop there, they could keep going and have the staff changes at a different station.

Agreed. But BCC could close the station on public safety grounds. It's been done at least twice before. Too many people.

[Metrolink]

Yes, but that would not stop the trains passing through.

It would have a large impact on those traveling to / from Brum, but virtually no impact on through travel.

Also, I suspect they'd leave themselves open to litegation from National Rail, I suspect if they could not justify the closure on saftey grounds they'd end up with one large bill.

Imagine if BCC closed down another private company on ficticious saftey grounds, the legal companies would have a field day.