Four new cross-city bus routes are set to be introduced in Birmingham thanks to a £70m funding injection.
Aimed at making bus services “more reliable and attractive”, the routes promise to bridge communities across Birmingham city centre and offer “genuine cross-city services”, minimising the need for changing buses and ensuring quicker commutes.
The £70m earmarked for these routes is part of the £1.05bn City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement awarded to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) by the Department for Transport last year. The services will be supported by new bus lanes, changes to junctions, modifications to traffic signals, parking, and bus stops. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) says the alterations will allow buses to evade traffic congestion, promising passengers consistent and dependable journey times. An upgrade in bus shelters and passenger information is also on the cards.
The routes in focus are:
- Longbridge to Hamstead via A441 (Pershore Road) and B4124
- Longbridge to Castle Vale via the A38 (Bristol Rd & Tyburn Rd)
- West Bromwich to Chelmsley Wood via A41 Soho Road and B4128 (Bordesley Green & The Meadway)
- Bartley Green to Chelmsley Wood via B4124 (Harborne Road) and B4114 (Washwood Heath Road).
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of WMCA, comments: “These cross-city bus routes will better connect local people right across our region – cutting journey times for passengers, improving the public transport customer experience and demonstrating what the future of urban mobility can look like.”
Echoing the sentiments, Cllr Mike Bird, Portfolio Holder for Transport, adds: “Bus is the most popular form of transport in the region, accounting for more than 260 million journeys a year, and we are looking to make it even more attractive and encourage people to leave their cars at home.
“The future prosperity of our region will rely to a great extent on efficient public transport. We need to ensure that our communities have seamless access to opportunities and a smoother daily commute. This investment in additional routes across Birmingham is a positive step in the right direction and I welcome it.”
The forthcoming routes and the focus on zero-emission buses align with the region’s #WM2041 initiative to achieve carbon neutrality within the next two decades. The proposal follows recent bus priority upgrades between Druids Heath-Dudley and Walsall-Solihull, both via Birmingham City Centre. The project, to be rolled out over the next three years, is a collaboration between TfWM, Birmingham city council, and other council partners. TfWM says “detailed plans” are in the pipeline and will undergo a public engagement, consultation, and planning process soon.
