Cable cars to integrate transport in Birmingham

Date: 6/12/2012

Plans have been submitted for a cable car to run in Birmingham city centre, transporting passengers between the three different railway stations.

The architects who were responsible for bringing the Thames cable car in London to fruition have been invited to draw up the proposals for the new system.

A new terminal is to be built at Curzon Street if the plans for the (HS2) High Speed 2 rail link go ahead, which would make the cable car a necessary addition to the transport network.

Birmingham city centre may also find that the potential second stage of HS2, in which the route would be extended up to Manchester and Leeds, may lead to increased investment in transport projects.

West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority Centro is exploring ideas to extend HS2 further afield, with the option of reinstating the Camp Hill and Tamworth rail lines by the year 2026 when the new station will open.

An extension of the Metro is planned for along Bull Street and Carrs Lane to take passengers to Moor Street and the new HS2 station.

New Street Station is also to undergo a renovation in 2015, which will include creating covered walkways for passengers.

Geoff Inskip, Chief Executive of Centro, said: "We are therefore looking at all types of ideas and one option we are considering very seriously is a cable car link similar to the one built across the Thames in London.

"This would operate on a continuous loop so would provide a true ‘turn up and go’ system linking New Street Station, the Bull Ring and the Moor Street/HS2 terminal."

Funding details for the project have not yet been released, but the budget for the Thames cable car rose from £25 million to £60 million while it was being constructed.

This led to the infrastructure being one of the most expensive of its type ever to have been built anywhere in the world, but more than half of the cost was reclaimed through sponsorship deals.

Posted by Nick Anderson

International Transport News and Sustainable Transport News