Villa Park Redevelopment

[The Edge]

I'm sure they'll be open just in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as promised. I don't expect us to compete for funding with London, but I go to places like Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, with much smaller populations, and they're light years ahead of us in transport provision.

T'was ever thus. Birmingham has been held back by Central Government since the 1950's when the city experienced rapid growth after the war and was seen as a threat to Londons dominance. You can look it up I think it's called Birmingham Blight.

[Chris Smith]

Nothing will happen with Witton Station. They haven't bothered their arses with the Moseley or Kings Heath stations that they promised, either, and the tram still hasn't made it to Digbeth. This is Birmingham, you'll have a buzz, and you'll wait half an hour for it, and you'll be grateful.

The stations are under way at Moseley and King's Heath I think.

Pineapple Road station on the same line is also well under way.

[jon collett]

I'm sure they'll be open just in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as promised. I don't expect us to compete for funding with London, but I go to places like Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, with much smaller populations, and they're light years ahead of us in transport provision.

T'was ever thus. Birmingham has been held back by Central Government since the 1950's when the city experienced rapid growth after the war and was seen as a threat to Londons dominance. You can look it up I think it's called Birmingham Blight.

Mainly the Attlee government in the 40s but also Wilson’s in 64 which again described Birmingham’s growth as “threatening”

[maidstonevillain]

I went to Ewood Park in I think 1972 and then again in 1980, I thought it was a fabulous football ground.

I went a few times in that period including when a student in Liverpool. I remember it as a lovely old ground with a great atmosphere. A couple of times a friend and I were there as press (he was the sports writer on the University paper and able to blag us into the press boxes around the NorthWest). The press were invited into the Boardroom for half-time tea and pies. Old traditional oak panelled room with paintings of the Chairmen and Directors in their finery. One of the occasions Duncan McKenzie was in there, being introduced to everyone as the latest signing.
The friend I was with went on to become the (recently retired) Sports writer/reporter/Editor for BBC Radio Shropshire.

A bit off topic I know. But closer to topic than Castle Bromwich Hall. I'd forgotten it even existed, despite spending years and years getting on and off the M6 at the adjacent junction.

[cdbearsfan]

I'm sure they'll be open just in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as promised. I don't expect us to compete for funding with London, but I go to places like Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, with much smaller populations, and they're light years ahead of us in transport provision.

T'was ever thus. Birmingham has been held back by Central Government since the 1950's when the city experienced rapid growth after the war and was seen as a threat to Londons dominance. You can look it up I think it's called Birmingham Blight.

True. I think also the (relative) affluence of Birmingham compared to most comparable cities in those days, combined with the large percentage of the local population employed in the car industry, made them think they only needed to bother focusing on the roads, and that attitude has never really gone away.

[Exeter 77]

I've put this in the Birmingham News thread in Off Topic but it fits here as well. Richard Parker (the new WM mayor) has tweeted this about Witton Station.

https://x.com/RichParkerLab/status/1844403482456969272?t=GHhJU02bH6j3Wf-M8sU90w&s=19

[Rudy65]

I went to Ewood Park in I think 1972 and then again in 1980, I thought it was a fabulous football ground.

One of my worst nights in 93. Our allocation was small so paid a tout to stand at side of ground. We lost the League after Dalian hit the post. United scored offside winner at Selhurst. I missed the last train to Manchester and tried to sleep at Blackburn station. Got moved on by goods train to Preston. All in the middle of my finals in Manchester when we lost the League to the rags!

The game was shown at VP on the big screen on the pitch. I was in the Trinity. Terrible performance.
Coventry nil nil was pivotal 😡

[Des Little]

We’ll get nothing done if it’s left to the council to do anything. This lot are a complete and utter waste of time and money. Clueless skint pricks.

[PeterWithe]

I've put this in the Birmingham News thread in Off Topic but it fits here as well. Richard Parker (the new WM mayor) has tweeted this about Witton Station.

https://x.com/RichParkerLab/status/1844403482456969272?t=GHhJU02bH6j3Wf-M8sU90w&s=19

Doesn't give much away does it.

[London Villan]

More waffle - about a project that is ultimately some railings to manage queues and a tunnel under the existing track. No extra capacity actually on the trains.

[AV82EC]

I'm sure they'll be open just in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as promised. I don't expect us to compete for funding with London, but I go to places like Nottingham, Manchester and Sheffield, with much smaller populations, and they're light years ahead of us in transport provision.

They’re light years ahead in tram/light rail provision but just like us struggle with Heavy Rail.

Of course if you want to be like our East Midland cousins in Nottingham you could introduce a Workplace Parking Levy which massively helped pay for their tram system.

[Ads]

Yeah Manchester is WANK for trains. Mainly because Transpenine aren't too bad, but share the rails with useless shit bags Northern.

[AV82EC]

Yeah Manchester is WANK for trains. Mainly because Transpenine aren't too bad, but share the rails with useless shit bags Northern.

TPE are just as shit imv. The only reason they run a half reasonable service these days is they were allowed to reduce their timetable by about half because they were so shit at doing what their “franchise” asked of them.

[Chris Smith]

We’ll get nothing done if it’s left to the council to do anything. This lot are a complete and utter waste of time and money. Clueless skint pricks.

It’s not the council.

[paul_e]

Yeah Manchester is WANK for trains. Mainly because Transpenine aren't too bad, but share the rails with useless shit bags Northern.

TPE are just as shit imv. The only reason they run a half reasonable service these days is they were allowed to reduce their timetable by about half because they were so shit at doing what their “franchise” asked of them.

All major UK cities outside London are shit with their train networks because the demand on national routes and bottlenecks around major stations choke the life out of the local services. This was a major underlying reason why a full HS network is needed, but too many people sulked about that until they managed to pretty much destroy the point of it.