Plans to expand the Midland Metro tram network have been given a boost following a positive review by an independent panel of experts.
The £430M proposal by the West Midlands passenger transport executive Centro for new lines were judged to be sound by senior local authority figures from project management and civil engineering backgrounds and a team from financial auditor, the 4Ps.
The review – a process established in the light of significant cost overruns of a number of light rail schemes which were subsequently turned down for funding – concluded that Centro had a ‘strong approach’ to managing the risks of the project. This was considered by the team to be ‘good practice’.
The business case for the long-planned scheme connecting Wednesbury to Brierley Hill via Dudley was ‘comprehensive’ and presented a ‘practical and realistic’ programme for delivery.
The PTA should also be congratulated, the review concluded – after interviewing stakeholders, as well as the Centro project team – for securing ‘substantial’ support for the proposals and financial contributions towards the £430M cost. But the independent report also recommended that the cost estimate and optimum bias figure should be subject to frequent review.
The existing delivery plan and the risk, cost and cost of utility diversions also needed to be subject to review, it was recommended.
Centro-PTA vice chair and lead member for Midland Metro, Roger Horton, said: ‘This is a highly successful outcome. The review could have given the expansion a red, amber or green light – and green means it is telling the Government we are on target to succeed. ‘Frequent, high-capacity trams will provide a real boost to the accessibility of Birmingham city centre and the Black Country.’
The requirement for the ‘gateway review’ was put in place as part of the Government’s reaction to a critical report into the cost overruns of light rail projects issued by the all-party public accounts committee last year.
Transport minister responsible for light rail, Derek Twigg, said that by undergoing rigorous health checks at critical stages of project development, the Government could see whether projects were in a fit state to move forward. The extensions were given planning approval by the secretary of state last year following two public inquiries. Government provisional financial approval is expected by the end of the year.
The PTE is seeking transport innovation funds as part of a package of improvements for the conurbation.