Final piece of track welded into place in Digbeth as Metro extension reaches milestone

The final section of tram track in Digbeth has been welded into place in a major milestone for the Birmingham Eastside Metro extension.

This significant achievement signals the end of track laying and the current phase of construction along Digbeth High Street and follows the completion of works on the first section of the line at Lower Bull Street.

The Digbeth stretch of the route has also been enhanced with new paving, green infrastructure and landscaped areas as part of Birmingham City Council and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership’s (GBSLEP) masterplan to regenerate the area. 

With the full line now set to open later than planned due to HS2’s work at Curzon Street, plans have been approved to allow a temporary terminus to be installed at Moor Street Queensway allowing passengers to start using part of the route by 2025/26.

Anne Shaw, Executive Director of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), welcomed this latest progress on the project.

She said: “The completion of main construction along Digbeth High Street is fantastic news for those living and working in the area. It’s great to see how Digbeth has been transformed in recent months with the new track, paving and greenery, which have vastly improved the look of the area. This project will play such a pivotal role in the wider regeneration of the Eastside of Birmingham city centre. Although there remains a wait for trams services to start running in Digbeth while we await access to the Curzon Street Station site, there are plans to part-open extension with a temporary stop outside the Clayton Hotel to unlock some of these benefits for local people and businesses sooner.”

Maria Ion, Project Director, added: “We are all extremely delighted to have reached this key stage of construction along Digbeth High Street. I would like to thank all the businesses, residents and visitors for their patience while the construction was taking place. Although we will still be carrying out some activity in the area, our teams will continue to work closely with partners to minimise disruption wherever possible.”

The Midland Metro Alliance, which is building the scheme on TfWM, will continue to have a presence in the area over the coming weeks to carry out finishing activities including delivering additional street scene improvements.

The Birmingham Eastside Metro extension will run from Bull Street, in the city centre, to Digbeth, adding additional tram stops to the Metro network. More than half of the 1.7km route is planned to be free of overhead wires, similar to elements of the extensions from Grand Central to Edgbaston Village.