A list of preferred priorities and schemes will now be submitted by the combined authority to the Department for Transport for final approval.

That £1.3bn of investment will be spent on over fifty different transportation improvement projects within the West Midlands, with a full list to be published as soon as the DoT have confirmed final approval.

Some of the details we do know include a plan for over sixty miles of new, segregated cycle routes, thirty miles of dedicated bus lanes and priority measures, a brand-new railway station at Aldridge and a light rail line for Coventry city centre.

The money will also be used to encourage the use of electric vehicles with a network of 1,600 electric car charging hubs,  ten ultra-rapid charge points to support van and lorry drivers and with continued investment in existing metro systems.

Funding has also been set aside to help further develop the business case and plan for a more rapid extension of the West Midlands metro along the Hagley Road in Birmingham city centre, as well as the tram depot in Wednesbury.

The fifty plus schemes, to be developed over the next five years, are being funded from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, which was awarded to the West Midlands last year by the Department of Transport (DoT) and will be topped up by a small amount of local funding.

Any scheme which helps promote the decarbonisation of transport within the West Midlands, increases target investment into areas with poor connectivity or the empowerment of inclusive growth have been prioritised within the plan.

This unprecedented investment will allow us to deliver more than fifty exciting projects as we continue to revolutionise and decarbonise public transport across the West Midlands. From an expanded Metro network and new railway stations, to more cycle routes and better electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the schemes we have agreed will benefit every area, with improved links for communities right across the West Midlands while also tackling the climate change emergency by cutting down our carbon emissions.

Andy Street – Mayor, West Midlands