Road, Rail & Access

[58terminus]

Further to the above why are all these rapid transport systems planned on corridors that already have,by our standards, decent roads and relatively flowing traffic.
Never a mention of rapid transport along the Stratford. Coventry or Soho roads. The most congested roads in the city.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Solihull has been awarded £10.2 of transport funding for route improvements.

Central to these plans is improving the links between the town and 'The Hub', the area near Birmingham Airport where the new HS2 Interchange station will be built.

£10.2 million doesn't sound very much these days?

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/solihull-secures-102m-new-transport-15086748

 

[58terminus]

Solihull has been awarded £10.2 of transport funding for route improvements.

Central to these plans is improving the links between the town and 'The Hub', the area near Birmingham Airport where the new HS2 Interchange station will be built.

£10.2 million doesn't sound very much these days?

Some will be used for housing and grade A offices? Also what the heck is " sustainable travel" apart from making sure you have enough fuel. Presume whats left will be for bus lanes.More crumbs being tossed or way and we are supposed to be grateful.Sick of reading this nonsense and our local politicians pretending to be delighted.
That amount would not pay the wages for a week of the people working on current infrastructure developments in the S.E.

 

[Ray Finkle]

From Andy Street Twitter


Talking to media as we officially start work on the Birmingham end of the HS2 network

 

[Brummiegem]

I wonder how often work will be disrupted by demonstrators.On another thread we are discussing democracy and the voice it has given the people.Unfortunately in some cases,along with the painfully slow processes involved with planning and legal challenges getting anything done in this country seems to have become almost impossible.Runway 3 at a certain Airport springs to mind amongst others.I just hope that this project actually gets completed because the amount of money it has cost to date is nothing more than scandalous.

 

[BHXsupporter]

Well Euston to Bham stations will be completed... As for HS2 t'North...? Rail strategy, what rail strategy? I simply can't understand how pinch points, crossovers to separate traffic, doubling of ECML at the Welwyn viaduct, Bordesley chord construction etc. aren't just built. Invest to harvest. Now Manchester lacks the pronised extra two tracks linking their main stations and Bham lines that should be re-opened and frequency increased - quite ludicrous.

 

[Aviador]

I don't think anybody picked up on the arrival of Arrow Cars as the new official provider for Private Hire vehicles for Birmingham Airport. Birmingham isn't the first airport to use Arrow, They first operated airport services from Leeds Bradford airport and subsequently from Manchester and Bristol airports. Overall the service they provide is good but they're not cheap. Here's the official airport press release.

ARROW CARS LAND OFFICIAL PRIVATE HIRE CONTRACT WITH BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT

Arrow Cars land official private hire contract with Birmingham Airport
Five-year contract to begin in January 2019
Arrow Cars, have been awarded a five-year contract with Birmingham Airport to deliver private hire services from January 2019.
The national provider will deliver a private hire service at Birmingham Airport 24/7, 365 days a year. This brand-new premium offering is a first for the airport and will see the experienced operator manage terminal front-based bookings for walk-up journeys on-site.
Arrow Cars, who have been working exclusively with a number of other airports for over ten years, will also provide customers with the opportunity to pre-book journeys online, via both the Arrow Cars and Birmingham Airport official websites, plus a downloadable app available on any smart device.
Arrow will deliver passengers with a unique, cost effective and seamless airport transfer service with dedicated pick-up and drop-off points directly outside the terminal building.

David Richmond, Arrow Cars Chairman, said: “We are delighted to undertake this partnership with Birmingham Airport. Our shared ethos and vision of outstanding client work, corporate social responsibility and global growth makes this a match made in heaven. We will be investing over £1,000,000 in a large fleet from day one to deliver this unique service to millions of passengers flying in and out of the major hub.”

Richard Gill, Acting Commercial Director from Birmingham Airport, added: “We are pleased to be introducing an official private hire service at Birmingham Airport. Providing our passengers with ease of travel is important – the new private hire service will enable passengers to pre-book and pay in advance for their onward and return journeys to and from the airport.

“Arrow Cars impressed us with its experience, service and professionalism, as well as its strategy to introduce environmentally friendly vehicles from the beginning of the contract term. This premium private hire service will be a valued addition for our growing airport and we are looking forward to working together to expand our complete passenger offering.”

 

[Aviador]

Birmingham Airport awarded grant funding of £1.4 million towards electric buses

Birmingham airport has been awarded £1.4m from the Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme administered by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

The funding awarded will support the electrification of the airport’s landside bus fleet with ultra-low emission buses operating as a passenger transport service on all of the Airport car park routes.

The grant will partly fund the purchase of electric buses as well as the installation of dedicated bus charging infrastructure. The remaining investment, to achieve this infrastructure, will be made by Birmingham Airport.

Nick Barton, Chief Executive Officer at Birmingham airport, said “Since 2012, the Airport has reduced its CO2 per passenger by 20% per passenger. This funding will support us in working towards lowering our CO2 per passenger even further which is just fantastic.”

“We have made significant customer service improvements across the Airport to increase capacity and improve passenger experience, with the vision of positioning Birmingham as Europe’s leading airport. The electric buses form part of this vision, not to mention their sustainability benefits being ultra-low emission.”

The airport is advanced in negotiations with a bus manufacturer and aims to have the necessary infrastructure works undertaken to commence the fully electric bus service in Autumn 2019.

The grant was announced at the UK Bus Summit in Westminster on Wednesday 6th February 19.

 

[jfy1999]

Birmingham Airport seals deal with Midlands Connect | TheBusinessDesk.com

Agreement aims to improve access to the airport from across the region and beyond

www.thebusinessdesk.com

 

[jfy1999]

Looks like this is a result of the above deal.

Congratulations to all involved for their work so far and let’s hope it’s a success.

Rail bosses in the West Midlands have today submitted a bid to the Department for Transport for an initial £20m to develop designs, planning and final costings.

It will open up new, hourly direct connections to Birmingham International and Coventry railway stations for people living in and around Derby, Sheffield, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.

New rail services could connect millions of extra people to Birmingham airport

New rail services could connect millions of extra people to Birmingham International Airport as part of coronavirus recovery plans submitted to the Government today.

www.expressandstar.com

 

[Ray Finkle]

Fantastic news, lets hope that it happens.

 

[jfy1999]

Finally, we have some more detailed CGI’s of the Birmingham International revamp!

Come 2030 BHX should have two very handsome railway stations. If only the terminal could get the same treatment!

 

[Ray Finkle]

Looks great and definitely well overdue

More details on the link below.

Birmingham International Station design ambitions unveiled | Urban Growth Company

www.ugcsolihull.uk

 

[Brum X]

Oh well Ray, they will probably think they are arriving at the airport terminal just like people think Birmingham International is the city centre

 

[richard winterbourn]

Sensible rail ticketing

This may not seem that important to a lot of people, but recent changes to Trainline have reflected the new attitude and opportunities for people to travel on the most advantageous and cost effective route.

For example: Up until recently if i needed to travel by train from my home in Leominster to Birmingham Airport the only bookable ticket was via Hereford (change train) to Birmingham New Street (change train) and then a third train to the airport. This rule applies not only to Trainline but also to rail station ticket offices. It was not possible to book a direct ticket to Birmingham Airport via Shrewsbury. To use an off-quoted phrase: 'The computer says no!'.

If i wanted to go via Shrewsbury i had to book a separate ticket to Ludlow and then another ticket from Ludlow to the airport.

Thankfully that has now seemingly changed and it is now possible to book from Leominster through to Birmingham Airport on one ticket. This has great advantages for people in Herefordshire in as much as there is just the one change at the less crowded Shrewsbury station.

It has always been a pain to try and handle cases through the incredibly busy New Street Station where you have multiple platforms, escalators and, usually, a scrum of passengers.

As i said, this might not seem important to a lot of people but for those travelling to Birmingham Airport from my county it could make their journey that much more pleasurable. And the added advantage is that on pricing, Leominster and Ludlow are included as the same price...

A small change but an important one. It would be nice to see if Birminham Airport PR department picks up on this.

 

[JENNYJET]

Not on the same scale but from my area of Worcestershire, it is a bus into Redditch, then a CrossCity train to Birmingham New Street, a battle with escalators and people from platform 11 to Platform 2 for the train to the airport only it isn't is it? Another slog from a platform to another form of transportation to arrive at the terminal building and this is why my relationship with BHX as a plane spotter/enthusiast ended when DWP withdrew my mobility vehicle and my freedom to drive direct to the airfield. Besides, my current condition means my license is medically suspended thus it is Forums4Airports that keeps my interest alive and worth every penny of the subscription and more! There was once a direct coach daily to Heathrow via BHX from Redditch but that was withdrawn for economic reasons. There is a town of approx 90,000 plus Bromsgrove, Droitwich and the City of Worcester completely detached from a major airport despite being close leaving many taking car journeys often by taxi where other public transport is ineffective or simply useless.

 

[Ray Finkle]

It would be nice to see if Birminfham Airport PR department picks up on this.

We've had two new routes from Wizz in the last few weeks and I can find absolutely nothing from BHX anywhere! I'd say there is little chance of them jumping on this one

 

[JENNYJET]

Get KJAY in to sort them out or are they all on furlough?

 

[Ray Finkle]

The National Infrastructure Commission has suggested that the eastern leg of HS2, up to Leeds, should be suspended indefinitely. It has however recommended a modified version should be built from Birmingham to Nottingham via East Midlands Parkway.

It also backed plans for improved rail links to Birmingham Airport Station from Derby and Sheffield in the north and Oxford and Reading in the south.

A final decision is due in the new year.

Massive expansion of rail services from Birmingham planned

Plans for more services and faster trains linking Birmingham and Coventry, Derby, Hereford, Worcester, Wales, Oxford and Reading

www.birminghammail.co.uk

 

[Brum X]

Hs2 should be built in full and no cutting corners.

Is Britain a man or a mouse ??