1. Birmingham New Street Station
The redevelopment of New Street station as a “Gateway” for the Region remains a cornerstone of our economic, growth and transport strategies. It unlocks significant benefits by alleviating constraints on the development rail services and will transform the experience of users and the perceptions they first form of the region – enhancing Birmingham’s status as a global city. The economic benefits are also significant – it will generate over 5000 jobs, deliver 1.3 million square feet of private sector development and increase business rates by over £600m.
2. Birmingham International Airport runway extension and surface access
The runway extension is critical to our Region’s future competitiveness – including underpinning Birmingham's role as a global city. It will enable direct flights to more distant international destinations, supporting links with new and emerging markets, particularly in India and China, and promoting opportunity for inward investment. The immediate priorities are the runway extension (including the A45 measures) and surface access improvements, closely followed by improvements to increase capacity at Junction 6 of the M42.
3. M6/M5 Capacity Improvements and Motorway Box Active Traffic Management
(ATM)
The performance of the motorway network impacts on both the productivity of the West Midlands economy and the competitiveness of the national economy. Increased capacity is required from M6 Junction 19 through to M5 Junction 2. Whilst the recent DfT announcement regarding the £150m extension of Active Traffic Management (ATM) phases 1 and 2 of the Motorway Box around Birmingham is welcomed, additional funding needs to be secured for phases 3 to 5 which are particularly important for supporting regeneration in the Black Country. In addition, there is a well evidenced need for increased capacity on the M6 (north and south of the Region - including the M54 Link and the A14 junction).
4. Rail Freight Upgrades – West Coast Main Line to the Key Ports of Southampton and Felixstowe
Gauge enhancement on the rail links to the country’s two largest deep sea ports will boost regional competitiveness, improve connectivity, access wider global market opportunities and improve regional productivity. These schemes will allow 9’6’’ containers to be conveyed on standard wagons of freight services allowing a greater volume and proportion of freight to be transported by rail, reducing road haulage, thus enabling better use of existing highway capacity. Both schemes have identified significant GDP benefits.
5. Regional Rail Capacity, both for passenger services and strategic freight connections
We need to develop connections between the strategic centres and the wider region, particularly the New Growth Points, Settlements of Significant Development, and our unique cultural assets, in places such as Stratford. These changes are required to increase accessibility, with particular benefits for extending labour catchment areas, providing high quality travel options to reduce car dependency.
Network Rail’s Business Plan sets out the immediate work programme. We need to make sure that their Business Plan is delivered in conjunction with other critical connections. These are:
•Bordesley chords - to free up additional capacity and open up new services;
•Midland Metro street running - to improve accessibility and connectivity to/from central Birmingham;
•Re-route rail freight away from the congested mixed use rail lines by opening the
Lichfield/Walsall/Stourbridge corridor;
•Improve service quality and capacity to the wider region; and
•Provide interchange opportunities with strategic park and ride at Worcester and
Brinsford.
6. Black Country ‘strategic transport spine’
The ‘strategic transport spine’ is the much needed public transport network which supports urban renaissance and economic regeneration by connecting the strategic centres and corridors in the Black Country, with Birmingham and the Regeneration Zones. Connecting the four strategic centres notably by completion of the Midland Metro network will provide communities with much improved connectivity and access to employment. The immediate priorities are to connect Brierley Hill/Merry Hill with an improved Midland Metro Line One into Birmingham City Centre and provide a high quality public transport connection to economic development opportunities in North Wolverhampton.
7. North Staffordshire Strategic Public Transport Network
North Staffordshire has suffered greatly in the recent past with the loss of its traditional industries. This has left a serious problem with worklessness and a very low economic base. The North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership (NRSP) has been formed to combine the efforts of the Housing Market Renewal programme (RENEW), the North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone and the local authorities of Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands and Staffordshire County Council. Key to the work of the NSRP is the need to improve the transport infrastructure supporting the economic and housing regeneration. The specific project identified as a transport priority is the North Staffordshire Strategic Public Transport Network. This project will help to address the accessibility and congestion issues facing North Staffordshire which threaten to undermine the regeneration investment programmes.
8. New Growth Points/ Settlements of Significant Development
Development plans for the New Growth Points and Settlements of Significant Development require a programme of public and private investment needs. In some parts of the region transport schemes are being developed to support the sustainable growth for homes and employment, including ‘SPARK’ in Warwick/Leamington, enhanced heavy rail services between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa (with new stations at Bermuda/Hawkesbury, Ricoh Arena and Kenilworth), a river crossing in Burton, a north west relief road in Shrewsbury, and public transport and road improvements in Worcester.
9. Smarter Choices
In order to deliver a low carbon economy and a more sustainable approach to living we need to put in place a range of initiatives to change travel behaviour in favour of options such as: public transport, cycling, walking, car sharing, green travel planning etc. These measures can help to reduce the pressure on the road networks, reduce the number of trips made, change travel times etc,
