The Transport Secretary has warned the West Midlands it risks being "left behind" as indecision and divisions deepen over a proposed underground in Birmingham. Alistair Darling's comments came on the day he announced transport schemes across the entire region are to benefit from £750 million Government investment over the next three years. While £100 million of the total includes previously announced schemes on the West Coast Main Line and M42, the remainder will be ploughed into smaller schemes. Mr Darling was in Birmingham last night to answer questions from the business community at the third Birmingham Post Get Moving debate, held at Wragge & Co's offices in the city centre, where he was grilled by a 150-strong audience drawn from business, transport and other interest groups. Earlier, Mr Darling told The Post that a city centre extension to the existing Midland Metro street-level trams scheme had still to reach his desk for a final rubber stamp, despite a public inquiry on it concluding almost a year ago. Part of the delay has been caused by the new Tory/Lib-Dem Birmingham City Council leadership's insistence on pursuing a feasibility study on an extensive underground system instead. Mr Darling's comments were the clearest indication yet that the Government is not keen on the plan which some estimate could involve a bill running into the billions, when a cheaper light-rail scheme, which is still backed by Centro and the joint West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority, remains on the table. Mr Darling said: "I wouldn't discourage any authority from asking itself if it has the best solution, but there comes a time when you have to say let's go with our plan. "Given the length of time it takes to get from concept to delivery in transport I am saying to people it's pretty obvious, you have to decide what you want and get on with it." He added: "We are willing to make extra money available but it's got to be in respect of a coherent scheme for improving reliability of journeys and reducing congestion." Better transport in a region could not be achieved with a "piecemeal approach" or being "dogged by indecision and you don't know what you are doing". Mr Darling also sounded a warning that the Government was not pleased with the city council's recent policy move away from bus-only priority lanes. "All I can say is that right across the country where bus usage has increased and congestion has decreased is where they have worked in partnership with the bus company in putting in bus priority lanes and improving the quality of buses," he said. "Whitehall can't tell any council, Birmingham included, what to do. What we can make clear is the money is only going to be available if people come up with proposals that are properly thought out and will improve the travelling conditions for the people they represent. "Now we are going to be strict about that. Gone are the days when cheques are simply handed over and people hope for the best. That doesn't work. "You have to be sure you get something realistic out of it. It's quite deliberate what I have said and the position has not changed." He said: "No business, no household, nobody can accept costs going up when you know they shouldn't have gone up. "Time is not on our side. Anyone living here will tell you there's a problem now and it's a problem we need to sort now." Yesterday's investment announcement will pay for the Primelines bus route network in Coventry and road improvement schemes at Burntwood, Selly Oak, Brierley Hill and Barford Bypass in Warwickshire. It also includes funding for major improvements to the notorious A45/A46 Tollbar End junction near Coventry Airport. | 
