Secretary of State for Transport (): The Birmingham 2022
Commonwealth Games will take place from 28 July to 8 August 2022
and will be the biggest sporting event ever held in the city
featuring thousands of world-class athletes and over a million
spectators.
With an estimated global television audience of 1.5 billion
people, the Games will showcase Birmingham, the West Midlands and
the entire country as an amazing place to live, work, study,
visit and do business.
We know that putting in place effective transport provision is a
crucial part of any major sporting event and requires detailed
planning and coordination. A well understood and supported
Transport Plan is therefore essential.
On 23 October 2020, in line with s25(1) of the Birmingham
Commonwealth Games Act 2020, I directed the West Midlands
Combined Authority to prepare a Transport Plan for the 2022
Commonwealth Games.
Today I am pleased to inform the House that the West Midlands
Combined Authority Board has approved the final Games Transport
Plan.
The Transport Plan has been produced in close collaboration with
Birmingham City Council and the Birmingham 2022 Organising
Committee. It sets out a strategic approach to planning and
coordination of transport to support the Games covering the
transportation of spectators, athletes and the Games family,
whilst at the same time ensuring that any disruption to transport
users and residents is kept to a minimum.
The Transport Plan is also the result of consultation with key
stakeholders, including local authorities, police forces,
transport operators, and the Department for Transport, as well as
wider public engagement.
The Transport Plan presents 5 principles that have guided
decision-making throughout the stages of strategic planning, and
which underpin the objectives for transport during the Games.
These principles are:
- clean and green: a public transport Games
- safe, secure, reliable and efficient transport
- minimising disruption
- long-term benefits
- access for all
