Shining in the East: E.ON lights the way for Birmingham Metro’s Eastside Extension
As work continues on extending Birmingham’s tram network to the east of the city, E.ON has completed the installation of new street lighting for the Eastside extension from Bull Street to the future Curzon Street HS2 station.
E.ON’s Wednesbury based Utility Solutions team has successfully completed installing 48 new LED street lights along the 1.7km Eastside Extension route.
One of the main features of the new street lights – apart from providing a safe, well lit and energy efficient walkway – are the striking decorative lighting installations on Moor Street Queensway. These installations have both forward and rear facing lanterns mounted on blue conical columns with a decorative spiked finial.
The project has also included the complex task of mounting 11 lanterns on to overhead power lines for the Metro.
Traditional lighting along Moor Street Queensway has also been upgraded with LED lights, making lighting in the whole area much more energy efficient, helping keep the streets well-lit and safer for road users and pedestrians alike.
Achieving this ambitious project required extensive excavation work to install the 10-metre-tall columns and to also lay a kilometre long (over 0.6 miles) network of cables along the new walkway to connect the streetlights – with care and planning at every stage.
Operating in the heart of the city centre brought with it many challenges such as managing complex underground utilities and contending with people and traffic flows, all while working around the existing tram infrastructure. Additionally, seamless coordination was essential between multiple stakeholders, including the Metro Alliance, HS2, and local businesses, ensuring the project progressed efficiently in such a dynamic environment. All of this requires exceptional skill, patience and adaptability from the technicians involved reflecting their expertise in managing complex urban installations.
Running from Bull Street to High Street Deritend via the proposed HS2 Curzon Street station, the extension forms part of Transport for West Midlands’ plan to improve public transport in Birmingham and the Black Country.
The work which took over 15 months to complete helps form a vital connection between Birmingham’s tram network and its developing transport hub. It has helped modernise the city centre with increased accessibility, while supporting regeneration in the Digbeth area. As Birmingham continues to grow this work stands as a shining example of local expertise driving forward a brighter, more connected future.
This project is just one of the many ways we are looking to support not only lighting, but city transformation across the UK, including in Birmingham, recent talks surrounding the Sports Quarter development and how city-wide infrastructure can help power social change.