One of the things I have set out to do as Mayor of the West Midlands is build a world-class transport system for our region, and Digbeth – the spiritual home of Birmingham’s Irish community – has often found itself at the centre of this ambition.

Digbeth is at the heart of so many transport routes, providing a home for National Express and with so many rail and road connections linking it with the wider region. And, of course, the development of the East Side Metro line will make it even better connected.

This month I want to use my column to explain why this important Metro line is set to be delayed due to HS2 – and the new plan that will ensure we still accelerate delivery of tram services to the east of Birmingham city centre.

The full line to Digbeth is now to open later than planned because construction work on the tram track through Curzon Street Station cannot begin until HS2 have handed over the site – which is not expected to be until 2026 at the earliest.

I found this very frustrating but was determined to ensure it didn’t mean work stopped. So, I tasked transport officials with finding a way to get trams running sooner.

That’s why I’m delighted we’ve found an innovative solution to part-opening the Eastside Metro extension, with a temporary terminus being installed next to Moor Street Queensway – with a stop at the Clayton Hotel enabling local people and businesses to start benefitting sooner. This approach means trams will be running here in 2025/2026.

Having recently opened the Wolverhampton city centre extension, we know just how popular these schemes are with the public - offering seamless connections to rail and bus services just as this extension will provide at Moor Street.

Crucially, on the other side of the HS2 site we’re making good progress, with work set to complete in Digbeth by the end of the year, while all the new and improved public spaces, built with funds from Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, are looking absolutely fantastic. The area is also becoming an exciting magnet for the creative industries, with the BBC set to relocate there and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight building a new studio there.

A new Digbeth is taking shape, and I’m determined that it gets the very best transport connections.

Short-term hurdles like this can be very frustrating, but completing the full Eastside extension to High St Deritend remains a top priority.

By coming up with innovative solutions, we aim to keep on track to deliver it as soon as possible.

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