Birmingham City’s hopes for a new stadium and a £3 billion Sports Quarter have increased significantly.

The government confirmed in midweek that the region had received funding to complete a number of projects, including a tram line from the city centre to the old Wheels site.

Blues owner Tom Wagner can now move forward with his plans to benefit both the club and the city, as a major hurdle has been cleared.

The Keep Right On podcast interviewed BirminghamLive’s Politics and People Editor, Jane Haynes, to gain insight into recent events and future plans. Here’s a transcript of our most recent podcast.

What happened?

JH: Rachel Reeves has revealed that the West Midlands will receive £2.4 billion for transport infrastructure projects. One of the headlines is the guarantee of funding for a tram line from Birmingham city centre to the Blues Sports Quarter at Bordesley Green, the former site of Wheels.

As you are aware, we have been following the progress of Blues’ dream for some time, from when the club first purchased the land to Tom Wagner’s personal mission to persuade the government to fund infrastructure that will ensure that when he builds this £3 billion super stadium, leisure complex, entertainments, and hotel, fans and visitors can get to and from it relatively easily.

This is a clear indication from the government that they are willing to support large investors who promise to deliver growth, jobs, and opportunities in certain parts of our country, and it has been viewed as a significant victory for both Wagner and Mayor Richard Parker.

We’re getting £2,4 billion, with £400 million estimated to be required for the first section of this tram line. The remainder will be divided among other transport projects that will be announced in the coming weeks.

How long do these things take? Because, in Birmingham, I believe they’ve had varying degrees of success with these things over the last decade.

JH: Varying levels of success? It has been slow. It’s been incredibly slow. The tram line in Digbeth has been in place for years but is currently not operational. It is not linked to the rest of the tram network.

This is due to some issues with HS2’s access to the site where it will build its Curzon Street station. So people are understandably sceptical of the timeframe.

I spoke with Mayor Richard Parker, and he is confident that the tram line will be removed before the Blues stadium is built. We know Tom Wagner is impatient, and he has mentioned building a stadium by 2030. So, the clock is ticking.

This is a slow process. There’s a lot of disruption when you put a tram line down, especially through a densely populated part of our city, leading out of the city and towards Bordelesly Green, so it’s not going to be a quick process, it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be fraught with pitfalls and disruptions, but 2030 appears to be the target date for the first phase of this line to be completed.

Although only a few miles in length, this is the first phase of a planned line that will eventually connect Birmingham Airport, the NEC, and North Solihull.

What does this mean for the city of Birmingham?

JH: The jobs involved in actually laying the tram line will be significant, but the real reason that this scheme is being chosen and is going ahead is because of the Wagner factor, the £3 billion that he’s dangled in front of the city and the Chancellor and said, ‘Look, I’m going to put big money into this city.

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