Chancellor announces extension to West Midlands Metro tram network
The Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce a £2.4 billion extension to the West Midlands Metro tram network during a visit to the region today.
Rachel Reeves will formally announce the extension of the tram system from Birmingham city centre to a new sports quarter that is being created in Bordesley Green.
This will be the first phase of West Midlands mayor Richard Parker’s ambition to deliver mass transit from east Birmingham to north Solihull.
Pat McFadden, MP for Wolverhampton South East, and a cabinet minister, said it was good news for the region
"Improvements to the tram and better bus services will make life easier for passengers and be a boost to the local economy. And it is only possible because the Labour Government has prioritised investment for the future in transport, housing and energy."
It is one of a number of projects across the country that will be backed in a £15.6 billion package for mayoral authorities.
Miss Reeves also said she would be changing the rules that determined which projects should be funded, saying there was an inherent bias that favoured London over other regions.
She will argue that Britain 'cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country' and champion a 'new economic model, driven by investment in all parts of the country,.
Leeds, the largest city in western Europe without a mass transit system, will also receive £2.1 billion for a new tram network.
The Leeds Supertram project first emerged in the 1980s but was dropped in 2005.
The previous Conservative government gave its support for Leeds to have a mass transit system in the integrated rail plan published in November 2021, to coincide with the decision to drop the planned HS2 extension to the city.
Services on a tram network are expected to launch in the mid-2030s and will link Leeds with Bradford and other areas.
An extra £2.5 million is also being made available for Greater Manchester's tram network. The Metrolink system will get new stops for Bury and Oldham, and the line will be extended to Stockport.
Also, the city’s public transport Bee Network will become fully electric by 2030, including through the purchase of 1,000 new electric buses.
The Tyne and Wear Metro will be extended from Newcastle to Sunderland via Washington.
There will also be improvements to bus network in the Liverpool City Region, with new rapid bus routes will serving Liverpool John Lennon Airport and both Liverpool and Everton’s football stadiums.
Middlesbrough railway station will also be extended with a third platform to boost capacity.
A new mass transit system is also planned for Derby and Nottingham, featuring road, rail and bus improvements.
In the south, the West of England will receive £800 million, including £200 million to develop mass transit links between Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire and north Somerset.
