History is a circle. Fashion trends come back every 20 years, which is why it’s suddenly cool to wear low-waisted jeans again. Trams were big in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, but they went out of style when everyone got cars. Despite this, for the past decade or so public transport has really made a comeback in the UK – including trams, which are officially back, baby!
Okay, trams have been here for a while. But they’re getting more attention and care than they used to, and nowhere is this more evident than in Birmingham.
Construction has begun to add to the city’s trams from Moor Street Queensway, which will be joined up to Curzon Street Station, connecting the service to the high-speed intercity railways currently being constructed under HS2. These tracks are being extended through Lower Bull Street and Albert Street. A temporary stop will soon open outside the Clayton Hotel on Albert St, meaning that passengers will have access to this leg of the extension from next year.
Speaking on behalf of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the group’s executive director said: ‘Announcing the next phase of the Birmingham Eastside Metro extension on Moor Street Queensway marks a pivotal step in the city’s wider regeneration.
‘This project will both revitalise the eastside and provide an alternative sustainable transport option.’
TfWM say that it has attempted to start construction with only minor disruptions to regular tram and bus routes nearby, but that anyone planning a journey through the area should double check their dedicated webpage to see if their travels will be affected.
Congrats on your shiny new tramlines Birmingham! Between this and HS2, there really has never been a better time to be Brummie.
Travel updates with Time Out
There’s no point in us reporting on what’s going on up and down the UK if you don’t have a way of getting around. That’s why we try to keep you up on all the goings on in world of planes, trains and automobiles. In the latest news, Wales is scrapping its controversial 20mph speed limits, Belfast is getting a massive new train station, Liverpool might be getting a brand-new high-speed railway link and a British airline has been crowned the best in Europe
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