Midland Metro

Trams are set to return to the streets of Birmingham after the government approved plans to extend Midland Metro through the heart of the city. 

The extension is well underway with the completion of the Great Charles Street Bridge linking the line from Snow Hill to its now on road route through Colmore Gate. The exciting project also includes a fleet of new, bigger trams increasing passenger capacity and frequency of service to every six minutes throughout the day. The proposed route runs for 1.4 kilometres through Birmingham city centre with four new stops provided. 

It will provide a fast link from New Street Station to the emerging business district at Snow Hill, the unique and historic Jewellery Quarter and serve as a platform for a future rapid transit network that can connect and feed into the city's forthcoming High Speed Rail terminus. 

Expansion of Midland Metro will provide a transport network fit for the future. The project is expected to boost the West Midlands economy by £50 million a year and create up to 1,300 sustainable new jobs. It will revolutionise the way people travel to and around the city, giving a fast link between Birmingham's two major rail stations. 

When completed, the Metro city centre extension could carry over 8 million passengers per annum, while delivering more than 3.5 million passengers a year right into the heart of the city's shopping district, the new shopping on the Gateway development. 

For more information visit www.centro.org.uk/metro/futureroutes