An influential city businessman has called for radical plans for a monorail to be revived as a solution to congestion.
Neil Maybury of Birmingham Business Focus wants Birmingham City Council and the transport authority Centro to take a fresh look at the hi-tech line and fund a feasibility study as part of its 20-year transport plan.
The group first proposed a monorail line between New Street and Birmingham Airport five years ago but that was quickly dropped following the announcement of HS2 line between the airport and city centre.
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But now the advocates see fresh hope with the launch of the Birmingham Mobility Action Plan, or BMAP which outlines a strategy for transport over the next 20 years aimed at tackling traffic congestion and encouraging a shift from the car to other forms of transport – from walking and cycling to rapid transit buses and rail.
A key proposal in the plan is a network of 11 Sprint rapid transit bus lines – where electric low carbon buses would run in dedicated lanes. These could then by upgraded to railed tram system if funds are available later. The first Sprint line is proposed to run between the city centre and Walsall along the A34.
But critics of BMAP, including members of the city council’s transport scrutiny committee, have accused it of lacking ambition with regard to rapid transit schemes like the Midland Metro, tram and light rail.
Now Mr Maybury has joined that chorus and is urging transport bosses to take a detailed at look at a monorail system based on the Metrail scheme being developed in Dubai.
He said: “The city has realised that Birmingham has this dependence on the motor car and this is due to the lack of any attractive alternative transport.”
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He added that many continental cities, some smaller than Birmingham, offer travellers a range of services including trams, buses and an underground system.
“I think we would be making a huge mistake if we did not at least look at a monorail system. We need to have feed-in transport systems to the HS2, such as a monorail through Perry Barr, the A34.”
He suggested a detailed feasibility study would cost about £250,000 and added that private investors might be more attracted to invest in the likes of monorail, rather than a fleet of upgraded buses.
The most popular monorail systems around the world rely on lightweight self-propelled trains running on a solid rail so there is no need nor expense on electrifying lines. The raised track above streets make it less expensive than surface level rails.
Similar criticism over BMAP was levelled by members of Birmingham City Council’s transport scrutiny committee.
They called for it to give a greater role to tram systems and said the city needed an efficient network of tram lines, not just the one as at present, to compete with rival cities and encourage a high number of people out of their cars.
Coun Timothy Huxtable (Cons, Bournville) said: “We have talked about the metro to the airport, but it doesn’t appear in this vision.
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“Other cities have put together tram networks, not just a line, a network, and they are the ambitious ones.”
He pointed out that as recently as March 2012 the council had issued a detailed scheme for a Metro linked to the high speed rail route.
Council leaders have stressed that the document is out for public consultation and all proposals and representations will be considered when the policy is finalised next year.