An incredible new £700million tram line will greatly boost a famous UK city.
The East Birmingham to Solihull Metro Extension was first looked into 20 years as a nine-mile route from the airport National Exhibition Centre but has since been greatly extended.
As of March 2024, the 11-mile proposal has been pushed further eastwards and incorporated into wider plans to extend the metro line as a whole.
The new line would link areas such as Bordesley Green and Heartlands Hospital to Curzon HS2 and Birmingham city centre, and then onto the NEC, Birmingham Airport and the HS2 Interchange Station.
In September 2021, £1billion of funding was received for new Metro and upgraded bus routes around the West Midlands, consisting of many new lines and extensions.
Work was supposed to have started on the line in 2024 but it was revealed in February 2022 at a Solihull Council meeting that the project had been set back.
An important driver for this extension is the building of the HS2 connecting London to Birmingham, which is due to open between 2029 and 2033.
The route is the transport element of a regeneration plan for the area, encouraging more of the general public to choose green transport options for their day-to-day travel.
The Midland Metro Alliance said: “When the route is open, it will increase employment opportunities across the region allowing people in this area to easily travel throughout the West Midlands.
“Similarly, the construction of the route would provide a number of job opportunities with the Midland Metro Alliance as we are dedicated to building the tramway with local resources and labour, ensuring the region truly benefits from the growth of the Metro network.”
The East Birmingham to Solihull Metro Extension is one of five to the Midland’s Metro system with others on the east and west sides of Birmingham, to Brierley Hill and into Wolverhampton city centre.
