West Midlands’ transport authority Centro has confirmed the route of the Midland Metro Eastside extension in Birmingham.
The extension will take trams from Curzon Street, the site of Birmingham’s HS2 hub station, along New Canal Street and Meriden Street then on to High Street Deritend where it will serve Digbeth Coach Station and The Custard Factory.
Centro and Birmingham City Council agreed the first section of the Eastside Metro extension to Curzon Street last year. Thanks to additional government funding, the city was able to extend the line by a further 1.5 kilometres into Birmingham’s Digbeth district.
The High Street Deritend route option, which was preferred by the majority of respondents to a public consultation, will cost around £130 million including construction costs and additional trams.
Centro’s lead member for transport, Councillor Keith Linnecor, said: “Tens of thousands of people in the Black Country and Birmingham already have access to the Metro and this extension will give them a direct link to the high speed rail network, which in turn will provide connections to key national and international destinations.
“It will also offer that same connectivity to people in the east of Birmingham and help in the movement of the 12,000 West Midlands people who are expected to arrive at the HS2 station every hour.”
Subject to approval by the Secretary of State, the extension could be open by 2023, ahead of the planned start of HS2 services in 2026.
