Why more metro is good for us
By Rob Groves, Regional Director, Argent
The announcement in last week’s Budget of £250 million funding for the second Midland Metro line is not just good news for commuters in the Black Country.
The new seven mile long, 17 stop route will connect to the existing Metro line at Wednesbury, with trams running from Brierley Hill and Dudley into the heart of Birmingham and Wolverhampton from 2023.
For the companies who will soon be operating at Paradise, the Metro extension and hopefully further ones to come – such as the Eastside line going out to the Airport and NEC – make it easier to do business.
And with a Metro stop right on our doorstep outside the Town Hall opening in 2019 as part of the current Westside Metro extension to Edgbaston, we can’t wait to welcome more workers and visitors to Paradise, whether they’re from the Black Country, Solihull or further afield.
From our point of view it’s not just about making it easier for our occupiers to get their employees to work. It means widening the talent pool, expanding the labour market and ultimately spreading economic benefit.
That’s why the £250 million cost of the line is worth every penny. It enables more and more people to benefit from economic growth in our city centres and other job-creation sites along the new route, such as at Merry Hill.
For us, being in the city centre is not just about convenience. We’re not just about putting buildings on a skyline. City centres continue to be the most sustainable way for people to work and come together in large numbers because they concentrate employment, access, and crucially transport links, in one place.
Even though it sometimes feels that our digital world is hell-bent on making us more individualistic, in truth most of us actually like to come together to work and play. Both activities seem to be better when shared.
The Metro helps us get together. It will create and support jobs, cut congestion and greenhouse emissions, and improve both the look and feel of our city and region. Well done to all those involved in bringing this game-changing investment to fruition and good luck with future funding bids for more.