'Transformational, cross-city service': Plans to buy 24 electric ‘tram-like’ buses for long-awaited West Midlands Sprint route
Plans to buy two dozen new electric buses for a long-awaited new service in the West Midlands are set to be approved.
West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Board is expected to rubber stamp the plan to purchase 24, three door tram-like vehicles for the Sprint scheme.
A total of £26 million will be spent on buying the buses and charging infrastructure as well as a further £5.5 million on the ‘buy before you board’ ticketing equipment.
The proposal was backed by the WMCA Investment Board last month and is now expected to be fully approved by bosses when they meet on March 13.
The aim of the Sprint scheme is to make it quicker and easier to travel between Walsall, Birmingham and Solihull by bus via a continuous bus priority route along the A34 and A45.
Transport for West Midlands said passengers would be be able to easily switch between bus, metro and rail services along the route.
Bosses also said the new vehicles will have easier and faster boarding similar to trams, be accessible with plenty of space for wheelchairs/pushchairs, and provide an all round better passenger experience.
A report to Board said the benefits of the proposal outweigh the costs of buying the vehicles and ticketing equipment.
It said: “Sprint is intended to be transformational, delivering a tram-like, cross-city service along the A34 / A45 corridor with faster, more efficient journeys and an enhanced passenger experience.
“The overall Sprint vision comprises of; significant bus priority, enhanced bus stops, tram-like vehicles and streamlined ticketing arrangements.
“Whilst WMCA will have delivered the infrastructure elements of the project by March 2027, only the advent of franchising has provided the opportunity to deliver the fleet and ticketing arrangements not previously delivered by the market under deregulated bus services.
“Whilst Sprint will require lower levels of investment than Metro, it is intended to be similarly transformational and still represents a higher level of investment than normal bus services.
“The Sprint Purchase of Vehicles full business case thoroughly tests the fleet options to demonstrate that the proposed investment in tram-like battery electric articulated buses aligns with the overall strategic objective, provides value for money and is affordable as a franchised bus service.”
When the scheme was first announced in 2018, it was expected to be completed and open by the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
But the project has been hit with a series of delays due to factors including the Covid 19 pandemic and huge rises in costs.
Work on building the infrastructure such as new bus stops and implementing measures such as extending bus priority lanes and signalling have been carried out in the first phases.
