Work gathers pace on Wolverhampton Metro extension
Research and design work is moving ahead on the planned extension of the Midland Metro tram system through Wolverhampton city centre.
The £30 million scheme, known as the Wolverhampton Loop, proposes to link the existing Metro stop at St Georges to the city’s proposed new transport Interchange to create a seamless connection between tram, bus and train.
Next week businesses along the route will be asked to give information about their day to day operations/activities so Centro, the region’s transport authority, can start designing the project in detail and ensure minimal disruption to traders. Engineering, environmental and economic studies are also underway.
The subsequent design will help establish the scheme’s detailed costings which are needed for the business case due to be submitted to Government later this year. An acceptable business case is required by the DfT in order for funding for the extension to be released.
Peter Adams, Centro’s project director for Metro, explained: “Centro representatives will be calling on businesses along the route next week to gather information about how they function in terms of deliveries, parking and access.
“We will also be taking on board their comments about the scheme and their business needs so that we can take these into account when we draw up the detailed plans.
“The information will enable us to put together a robust business case for the Department for Transport with whom we are already working closely to ensure our case meets their requirements.”
The Wolverhampton Loop involves trams travelling clockwise on a single track around the city centre, starting at the existing terminus at St Georges and along Market Street, Princess Street, Lichfield Street and Pipers Row with a spur to the railway station.
A key feature of the scheme is that the Metro would be routed through the Interchange to provide integration of bus, rail and tram in a single site. The design work for Metro and for the Interchange is being closely co-ordinated to ensure the two projects are complementary.
Cllr Paddy Bradley, Wolverhampton City Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise, said: “This Metro extension to the Interchange would provide people with better access to the bus and rail stations and quick and easy transfers between tram, bus and train. It would give Wolverhampton a truly integrated transport system. It would also open up the city centre by making it easier for shoppers, commuters and out-of-town visitors to move around it.”
Running on the loop and along the existing route between the city and Birmingham would be a fleet of up to 25 new, longer trams which would increase frequency of services to every six minutes.
This means the Metro would be able to carry 40 per cent more passengers during peak times – when the service is currently at capacity – and 75 per cent more people off peak.
It is envisaged that approximately £20m of the £30 million cost of the Wolverhampton Loop would come from the Government under the Regional Funding Allocation. The project is earmarked to start before 2014 but Centro aims to begin work as soon as funding is made available.
----------------
Building on the strengths of Midland Metro Line 1, the Regional Funding Allocation Bid submitted to Government in February 2009 includes funding bids that could contribute towards the cost of new, longer trams for Line 1, extensions to the line in both Birmingham and Wolverhampton city centres, and provide the Wednesbury-Brierley Hill-Stourbridge extension, subject to government approval.
Wolverhampton City Centre Loop is being taken forward by Centro in partnership with Wolverhampton City Council with funding being sought pre-2014.
The proposed extension will bring improved city centre penetration and better access to the bus and rail stations. The Metro extension will be an important complementary element of the proposed Interchange Project.
The proposed route will consist of a clockwise single track extension loop from the current Metro Line 1 terminus at St George’s via Market Street, Princess Street, Lichfield Street and Pipers Row, linking back in to Line 1 at the southern end of Pipers Row.
At the northern end of Pipers Row a twin track route spur will cross Wolverhampton Ring Road over the existing Railway Drive bridge to serve Wolverhampton railway station and Interchange Project. New tram stops are planned for Princess Street, Pipers Row (for the bus station) and outside the railway station.
Engineering, environmental and economic studies are currently underway, to develop the outline designs in more detail. This work will support the submission of an outline business case to Government, after which legal powers will be sought through a Transport & Works Act Order application, subject to confirmation of Government support.
Constructive working relationships have been established between Centro, Wolverhampton City Council and the Interchange developers, Neptune, and good progress is being made. Stakeholder and public awareness raising, promotion and consultation are also planned jointly.
Consultation with stakeholders and the public was undertaken in 2003 as part of consultation for the 5Ws route where a preferred alignment route through Wolverhampton city centre for the loop was identified.
The next phase of the promotion and consultation will therefore focus on advising stakeholders and the public of the proposed scheme in order to increase awareness and promote support for the scheme.
The promotion and consultation will take place in two phases:
Following key stakeholder and media briefings on 30th April, the designers will approach businesses along the route to determine their loading and access requirements. This process will provide further information to enable the designers to take these into account wherever possible in completing their designs.
Following completion of the designs, a full scale consultation exercise for the general public will be undertaken, planned to start in June 2009.
Midland Metro Line 1 Fact and Figures
Midland Metro currently operates between Wolverhampton St George’s and Birmingham Snow Hill. The route is 20.7kms long and has 23 stops along the way serving the centres of Bilston, Wednesbury and West Bromwich as well as many residential, commercial and leisure areas.
A popular and well used route it attracts over 5 million passengers per annum and is now in its 10th year of operation.
Metro is the best performing public transport mode in the West Midlands and regularly achieves over 98% reliability.
It offers a six-minute, frequent service during the day and all the vehicles are low floor allowing ‘roll on-roll off’ access to wheelchairs, pushchairs and buggies. All stops are accessible via a lift or ramped access. Park and Ride sites are situated at key locations along the route and have proved very popular.
Every stop has electronic Real Time Information boards which let customers know exactly when their next tram is due.
Share
