Funding to kickstart work on a tram line to the new Birmingham
City Powerhouse Stadium and upgrade railway stations serving
Villa Park has been approved by regional transport chiefs.
Mayor and the West Midlands
Combined Authority (WMCA) Board agreed to advance £50 million to
accelerate early work such as detailed design, surveys and
business cases on several key transport projects including the
flagship scheme to extend the Metro to the Sports Quarter
regeneration site in east Birmingham.
The funding will also be used to start work on upgrading the
Witton and Aston train stations to support the expansion of Villa
Park and to take the development of Very Light Rail in Coventry
to the next stage.
, Mayor of the West
Midlands, said: “Fans deserve a modern, reliable and affordable
public transport to get them to and from their stadium on
matchdays – so we have made these projects a priority and
provided the funding to get them started straight away.
“This funding means we can complete essential design and survey
work at an earlier stage and be ready to get spades in the ground
next year.
“Together we are building a new transport network to fuel the
economy, secure investment and bring the new homes and jobs local
people need.”
The £50 million is an advance on the £2.4 billion Transport for
City Regions funding coming from government to the West Midlands
from 2027 to 2032. The money will be used for new road, rail,
tram, bus and active travel investment.
The aim is to get the Metro extension from Digbeth to the £3
billion Sports Quarter regeneration site ready for the opening of
the new 62,000-seater stadium.
Getting the Metro extension open in time is key to unlocking
Birmingham City FC owner Knighthead Capital's investment plans
for the Sports Quarter which will bring new homes and thousands
of jobs for the community.
Funding is also going towards further development of the
pioneering Very Light Rail (VLR) project in Coventry, including
upgrades of the tram and the innovative slab and track
technology. VLR will allow urban tramways to be built in half the
time and for half the cost of traditional tram systems.
And it means detailed design and planning work can start on the
upgrades to improve the passenger experience at Witton and Aston
railway stations. This will support the wider £150m investment
into Villa Park by Aston Villa's owners as well as getting the
stations ready for hosting the Euro 2028 football tournament.
The decision to bring forward funding was part of a wider review
of transport investment to make sure the region gets maximum
benefit from the £2.4bn Transport for City
Regions funding secured by the Mayor last summer.
The WMCA Board has already agreed to allocate £400 million for
Sports Quarter transport links including the Metro extension and
a further £25 million for Witton and Aston station upgrades.
It also confirmed the doubling of funding to £240m
for pothole repairs and road improvements in Coventry, Dudley,
Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
