Priority corridors make Birmingham buses quicker and more reliable

Transport for the West Midlands is reporting that bus services are more reliable and average journey times up to 22% faster along two key Birmingham commuter routes following the introduction of the Sprint bus priority corridors earlier this year.

Times taken by 12,000 buses on the A45 between Sheldon and Birmingham city centre and the A34 between Walsall and the city centre during September have been compared with the same routes on the same month in 2019.

The data shows that peak time journeys on the A45 into Birmingham city centre are 22% quicker as the buses bypass traffic jams during their morning rush hour commute.

Similarly early data is showing that evening peak time variability on the X51 route between Birmingham and Walsall has reduced by 31% while there is a reduction of 35% in variability for the X1 and X2 routes from Birmingham to Sheldon.

A key reason for the introduction of Sprint bus lanes and priority junctions is that journey times for buses stuck in regular traffic had fluctuated by more than 20 minutes on both the A34 and A45.

Sprint was developed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), and phase 1 was completed in May as part of regional travel plan for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Construction of phase 2 is due to follow next year, part-funded with a £56 million contribution from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) awarded to the WMCA by the Department for Transport earlier this year.

A cross-city route linking Walsall and Solihull with uninterrupted bus services will also start next year. This will be followed in 2024 with the introduction of 24 articulated hydrogen buses on the route.

Cllr Ian Ward WMCA portfolio lead for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council added, “This data shows that bus lanes and junction upgrades do make a difference to people’s journeys.

"This is why, over the next five years, we are looking to develop a further 50km of bus lanes and priority measures, create more cross-city bus services and make bus travel more comfortable, reliable and safer.

“When people know they can rely on their bus to arrive on time they will feel more comfortable leaving their car at home and help us reduce congestion on our roads, improve our air quality and contribute to tackling the climate emergency.”

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said Sprint was intended “to improve infrastructure, bus lanes and priority at junctions in order to enable buses to cut through traffic and offer passengers greater certainty around arrival times.

“Despite only recently completing phase one, the data shows that we’re already making a difference on the ground. So with further time saving measures on the way and the introduction of hydrogen buses along the route, we’re confident Sprint customers will enjoy an even better experience in the near future.

“We remain steadfast in this commitment - despite current cost challenges faced by operators - we believe buses have a bright future in our region.”