Sprint Signed Off

[richardjones210368]

I have been advised The Mayor, WMCA, Birmingham City Council & Walsall Council will sign off Sprint Line 1from Walsall to Birmngham at a Special Meeting which has been arranged to allow construction to start in early in the New Year. I can confirm all parties have agreed a concord ageement and Sprint is finally under way.

[Busboy105]

I have been advised The Mayor, WMCA, Birmingham City Council & Walsall Council will sign off Sprint Line 1from Walsall to Birmngham at a Special Meeting which has been arranged to allow construction to start in early in the New Year. I can confirm all parties have agreed a concord ageement and Sprint is finally under way.

Don't see the whole point in Sprint in my opinion. It's just going to slow traffic right down considering that it's going to get worse when the Perry Barr flyover gets demolished.

[winston]

Don't see the whole point in Sprint in my opinion. It's just going to slow traffic right down considering that it's going to get worse when the Perry Barr flyover gets demolished.

I think most people are of the same opinion, it's all just for show for the Commonwleath Games, I don't see it offering any more than the current X51 offers.

[Lukeee]

Sprint will be useless without the flyover at Perry Barr. It's just a waste of money, the people of Walsall road already have the 51/X51

[richardjones210368]

I think most people are of the same opinion, it's all just for show for the Commonwleath Games, I don't see it offering any more than the current X51 offers.

The problem for Sprint is the funding was obtained by the Birmingham LEP  long before the games & it cannot be spent on anything other than Sprint it is major investment for the West Midlands that is totally ringfenced I was much happier personally with the original Hagley Rd plans which could have been of advantage to Quinton, Halesowen & Blackheath users.

[winston]

The problem for Sprint is the funding was obtained by the Birmingham LEP  long before the games & it cannot be spent on anything other than Sprint it is major investment for the West Midlands that is totally ringfenced I was much happier personally with the original Hagley Rd plans which could have been of advantage to Quinton, Halesowen & Blackheath users.

Funding ring fenced or not ringfenced, I don't see Sprint providing anything that isn't already provided on that corridor, additionally the Sprint will take up more road /depot space and will be less environmentally friendly on mpg over the existing buses due to extra gross vehicle weight.

They would be better to loose the funding rather than cause all the disruption on the A34 corridor.

[richardjones210368]

Funding ring fenced or not ringfenced, I don't see Sprint providing anything that isn't already provided on that corridor, additionally the Sprint will take up more road /depot space and will be less environmentally friendly on mpg over the existing buses due to extra gross vehicle weight.

They would be better to loose the funding rather than cause all the disruption on the A34 corridor.

Believe it or not if they handed the funding back the penalties imposed by the EU would be greater than savings due to de-mininis  rules honestly Winston your points are fully valid but the reality is you couldnt make it up!

[winston]

Believe it or not if they handed the funding back the penalties imposed by the EU would be greater than savings due to de-mininis  rules honestly Winston your points are fully valid but the reality is you couldnt make it up!

Sooner we're out the EU, the better then!

[richardjones210368]

Sooner we're out the EU, the better then!

Now that I totally ageee on @Winston

[Stu]

In my opinion, I don't think the Sprint route along the Walsall Road corridor isn't going to have many advantages over the current express X51 service that passengers currently appreciate. And I also think it is a backward step to demolish the Perry Barr flyover that the X51 currently uses to great advantage.

This is just a 'vanity' project that was going to go ahead regardless of whether the public wanted it or not, the 'ringfenced funding' is money that will just be divided up and paid to private corporations and contractors, they'll be paid to carry out the work and 'deliver' the project (while 'chief executives' and project managers collect handsome salaries, not forgetting dividends to shareholders), but this money doesn't come out of nowhere, it is taxpayers money, and it will be taxpayers footing the bill for years to come.

In my opinion, the money could be better spent by scrapping this vanity Sprint project, and spend it on bus priority measures instead.

[richardjones210368]

In my opinion, I don't think the Sprint route along the Walsall Road corridor isn't going to have many advantages over the current express X51 service that passengers currently appreciate. And I also think it is a backward step to demolish the Perry Barr flyover that the X51 currently uses to great advantage.

This is just a 'vanity' project that was going to go ahead regardless of whether the public wanted it or not, the 'ringfenced funding' is money that will just be divided up and paid to private corporations and contractors, they'll be paid to carry out the work and 'deliver' the project (while 'chief executives' and project managers collect handsome salaries, not forgetting dividends to shareholders), but this money doesn't come out of nowhere, it is taxpayers money, and it will be taxpayers footing the bill for years to come.

In my opinion, the money could be better spent by scrapping this vanity Sprint project, and spend it on bus priority measures instead.

No its fully funded by the EU & Centro reserves & Direct Gov Funding  it is not funded  by current  ratepayers and the money cannot be spent on bus priority measures and as an accountant I would be out of a job if a contractor failed to make a profit on an infastructure project isnt that what I am always told about how wonderfull National Express PLC on this forum whats the difference?

[Stu]

No its fully funded by the EU & Centro reserves & Direct Gov Funding  it is not funded  by current  ratepayers and the money cannot be spent on bus priority measures.

;D So the money just appears out of nowhere then? Neither the EU nor our own Government 'creates' money, it is all borrowed and has to be paid back, by the taxpayer.

Besides that, any money coming from the EU is just 'our' money being given back to us, only we're told what we can spend it on...  ;)

[richardjones210368]

;D So the money just appears out of nowhere then? Neither the EU nor our own Government 'creates' money, it is all borrowed and has to be paid back, by the taxpayer.

Besides that, any money coming from the EU is just 'our' money being given back to us, only we're told what we can spend it on...  ;)

When Andy Street was chairman of the Birmingham LEP he sucessfully secured funding in.conjunction with Centro and Birmingham City Council to fund the project this was matched by  HM Government  regional government funding together with EU Regional Development Funding. Your original post regarded taxpayers funding  which I replied too from a local perspective the money you regard as coming back is from Corporation Tax & Income Tax raised on a national level by HMRC together with return to us as our legally bound EU levy whilst a member. I fail to understand why you would not want some of this general taxation raised & EU contribution raised returned to us in the West Midlands?

[richardjones210368]

In my opinion, I don't think the Sprint route along the Walsall Road corridor isn't going to have many advantages over the current express X51 service that passengers currently appreciate. And I also think it is a backward step to demolish the Perry Barr flyover that the X51 currently uses to great advantage.

This is just a 'vanity' project that was going to go ahead regardless of whether the public wanted it or not, the 'ringfenced funding' is money that will just be divided up and paid to private corporations and contractors, they'll be paid to carry out the work and 'deliver' the project (while 'chief executives' and project managers collect handsome salaries, not forgetting dividends to shareholders), but this money doesn't come out of nowhere, it is taxpayers money, and it will be taxpayers footing the bill for years to come.

In my opinion, the money could be better spent by scrapping this vanity Sprint project, and spend it on bus priority measures instead.

In addition I agree with your Walsall Road corridor Icomments the original project along Hagley Road to Quinton.would have been far better with extentions to Halesowen & Blackheath to improve the exisiting service currently provided on this corridor.

[Stu]

When Andy Street was chairman of the Birmingham LEP he sucessfully secured funding in.conjunction with Centro and Birmingham City Council to fund the project this was matched by  HM Government  regional government funding together with EU Regional Development Funding. Your original post regarded taxpayers funding  which I replied too from a local perspective the money you regard as coming back is from Corporation Tax & Income Tax raised on a national level by HMRC together with return to us as our legally bound EU levy whilst a member. I fail to understand why you would not want some of this general taxation raised & EU contribution raised returned to us in the West Midlands?

You should listen to yourself, you're starting to sound like a politician!  ;D

My point was about where this 'funding' comes from. If our Government is sitting on billions of pounds of 'cash' that it can allocate as 'funding' for vanity projects like Sprint, why aren't they spending this money on funding vital public services like our police, hospitals and schools, as well as building much needed social housing?

Taxation, whether through corporation tax or private individual income tax, or VAT or whatever, is necessary in order to service the huge debts that government racks up through 'borrowing' money to fund public services and infrastructure projects.

Our government is in debt, our country is massively in debt. Our whole economy is built on debt.

The money for this 'funding' doesn't exist, not until it is 'borrowed' from central banks. Then once it is 'borrowed' it can be 'spent' but has to be paid back, with interest of course. And yes, it ends up being the taxpayers who have to pay this back.

I don't have any problem with taxpayers money being spent in the West Midlands, as long as it is spent on worthwhile projects and causes that will benefit everyone in the West Midlands.