Birmingham City and Tom Wagner receive big off-pitch boost - It's an exciting update | OneFootball

Travel plans have been revealed for Birmingham City and Tom Wagner's new Sports Quarter

Another component of Birmingham City’s proposed ‘Sports Quarter’ has been confirmed following their chairman, Tom Wagner’s, meeting with the Transport Secretary on Wednesday.

Fresh off the back of promotion to the Championship, Wagner’s grand plans to turn the Blues into one of the nation’s footballing forces will stop at no bounds. He doesn’t just want a successful football team, he wants an empire.

Heavy investment has seen The Second City club crush the competition in League One this term, breaking the EFL’s all-time points record, which previously stood at 106, with the club set to reach a potential final tally of 111 if they can claim a 34th victory of the season away to already relegated Cambridge United.

Off the pitch, Wagner’s vision for the club has recently embodied itself in the new ‘Sports Quarter’ - a brand-new development in the east of the city which will encompass a new 60,000-seater stadium, training ground and academy facility, plus entertainment, office, residential and retail spaces.

The project, which is estimated to cost £2-3 billion, hinged upon improvements to the transport network between the city centre and the Bordersley site.

Plans for a new tram line were unveiled earlier today, and will have the Blues’ new project at the heart of it, according to BirminghamLive.

Birmingham City’s Sports Quarter travel plans revealed

Wagner’s meeting earlier this week has seemingly helped put the wheels into motion regarding the new tram line, which would aim to be ready for the opening of the Blues new stadium, currently slated for 2030, ensuring the go ahead for the £2.9 billion scheme.

Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker stated to BirminghamLive: "We are working really closely with the Government.

"I have spoken to the Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and taken Tom Wagner to Number 10, as we all want this to be joined up.

"This is a massive opportunity for our region and the city of Birmingham and my role is to use my powers and commitment to ensure this happens quickly.

The new Metro line would whiz passengers out of the city centre through Digbeth to a new £2.9 billion Blues super-stadium and Sports Quarter in Bordesley Green.

With plans now unveiled, Wagner’s travel concerns may be somewhat quelled and he can now turn his focus back to maximising the ambitious Sports Quarter project.

Tom Wagner marks intent with strong statement on the Sports Quarter

Earlier this week, the American chairman pulled no punches when expressing the importance of new travel plans which worked in conjunction with the Sports Quarter project and how damning the ramifications could be if they fell through.

"We’re dropping that investment into the middle of one of the most deprived areas in the country," Wagner pointed out to The Times. "I think there’s a moral imperative to invest into an area like that and to have an opportunity such as the one I just described and not pursue it would be a crime against the city of Birmingham."

Birmingham City FC's CEO Jeremy Dale has repeated the point to Birmingham Live, saying: "There’s no point building a stadium for 60 to 70 thousand people if they can’t get out of the stadium.”

Taken together, the Sports Quarter project could be monumental, not just for the club, but for the city of Birmingham.

The opportunities it would provide are endless, and if achieved, would help significantly in Wagner’s push to make Birmingham City one of English football’s elite clubs.