Communication Links
Birmingham is a city with excellent domestic, European and international transport links. The city is positioned at the centre of the UK and at the heart of the country's transport network.
The city lies at the hub of the national motorway network, with easy access to the M5, M6 and M42 motorways, linking to the M1, M40 and M69. The Aston Expressway provides motorway access direct to the edge of the city centre and the M6 toll road is located just outside the city.
Birmingham also boasts three mainline rail stations - New Street, Snow Hill and Birmingham International, as well as newly restored local station, Moor Street. New Street, the city centre's main rail station provides more direct connections than anywhere else in the UK and is the busiest station in Europe, dealing with 1,250 passenger trains a day.
Birmingham International Airport, 8.5 miles from the Irish Quarter, is one of the UK's fastest growing airports, handling over 7.5 million passengers a year and providing direct scheduled services to 60 destinations worldwide, including Belfast (Aldergrove & City), Cork, Dublin, Knoch and Shannon.
The airport was voted best UK Business Airport on 2000 (the fourth time in the past 6 years). The airport is currently undergoing a £260 million expansion programme to handle a projected ten million passengers by 2005.
In location terms, the Irish Quarter is superbly situated, within minutes walking distance from the core activities of the city centre and boasting easy access to the city and regions' transport network.
"Just as Birmingham is at the centre of Britain's communications network so is the Irish Quarter at the Centre of Birmingham and the West Midlands regions communications network. This makes it an ideal investment opportunity and I am very excited of the contribution which this area will make to the city's wider regeneration agenda."
Councillor Ken Hardyman, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Birmingham City Council.