Survey for all BCCE watchers.

[RW]

I was in B'ham CC this am and went to see what progress was being made. Well there was no activity at all between St Paul's and the Snow Hill tram mall and just 4 Balfour Beatty employees carrying out more excavation work alongside Colmore Gate/ Upper Bull St.

Given that work from St Paul's to Snow Hill was apparently scheduled to start in April, that the Snow Hill/Colmore Gate/Upper Bull St section was also shown for an April start with completion in September, that the Bull St/Corporation St junction was scheduled for completion this month and that work at the lower end of Corporation St/ New St is shown for a start this month, which is clearly not going to happen, it appears on the face of it that work is well behind schedule.

In fairness some of it is clearly down to slow utilities work.

So given the current rate progress when do we think we will finally see rails being laid on the City streets?

My guess would be October at the earliest at Colmore Gate. What do others think?

[RW]

Ok so my best guess of rails on the highway by October is a non starter. Given that there was 1 surveyor on site at Upper Bull St/Colmore Gateway at 10.20 this morning and no actual construction work taking place whatsoever I'm now revising my guesstimate to early 2014 unless BB lay a few 'token' rails before the year end. How can you build a tramway with 1 surveyor on site by mid morning!

[Roy]

According to the BBC website, the first rails are due to be laid.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-24813096

Also on the Network West Midlands website

http://www.centro.org.uk/newsroom/PressReleases/PressRelease72618.aspx

[Justin Tyme]

And yes, a short length of double track is down at the Colmore Circus/Bull Street junction.   It does look like a token ceremonial effort - the track is of course some distance from any existing tram track.

I'll join the list of people keen to see when track laying begins in earnest.