Birmingham and the West Midlands deserves a world-class public transport system and, as Mayor, I am determined to deliver it.

Digbeth, the spiritual home of Birmingham’s Irish community, is a big part in this plan, with the new Metro line linking up the east of the city centre.

But this month, I wanted to use my column to tell you about how we are also seeing a revolution on our railways, with new stations opening across the region.

Getting public transport right – whether that’s with trams, electric buses, cycle lanes or on the railways – is vital, as it connects communities together, gives people access to jobs and opportunities, boosts business and brings in new investment. It also cuts down traffic, easing congestion and helping us hit our climate change targets.

Sadly, much of our network was suffering from decades of neglect. What was needed was serious investment. Since I became Mayor, investment in transport here has increased seven-fold.

Take a look at our railway network, which is seeing a significant expansion, with passenger services returning to local lines have been shut for decades.

In the south of the city three stations, Kings Heath, Pineapple Road, and Moseley Village on the Camp Hill line, are currently under construction, ready for the long-awaited return of passenger rail services after 80 years.

Over in the Black Country, stations are also being built in Darlaston and Willenhall, while this week work began on a £30 million project to build a single platform station built in Aldridge, with a 40-space car park and road access from Westfield Drive.

But that’s not all – we have begun looking at the next phase of our rail ambitions, with plans for new stations at Castle Bromwich, Coventry East and near Tettenhall in Wolverhampton.

I also want to press ahead with my ambition to reopen the old line that runs through Sutton Park, which could see new stations in Sutton Coldfield too.

Add to all this the new trains that are coming into service in Brum, and it’s an exciting time.

It’s a well-known fact that much of Birmingham’s rail network was shaped by Irish workers. I wonder what they might think of all this new activity, in some cases reopening the long-closed lines that they built. I hope they would approve of our new transport revolution.

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