You can easily find your way around Birmingham on public transport, with people able to access trains, buses and the trams.
Birmingham once had an extensive tram network run by Birmingham Corporation Tramways. However, as in most British cities, the network was wound down and closed by the local authority, with the last tram running in 1953.
Following the abolition of the West Midlands County Council and establishment of a new Passenger Transport Authority in 1986, a new light-rail scheme under the name "Midland Metro" was revived. The tram system was launched on 30 May 1999 as Midland Metro, partly using the disused Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Line.
And of course we have the city's vital railway stations. New Street station was built in central Birmingham by the London and North Western Railway between 1846 and 1854. Birmingham's Snow Hill Station was opened in 1852 with Moor Street Station opening in 1909.
84% of public transport use in the West Midlands is by bus, with the largest bus operator in the area being National Express West Midlands, which accounts for over 80% of all journeys and was founded in 1986.
Let's take a look back at how public transport in Birmingham has changed in these 19 pictures.
1. Steam carriage, 1835
Steam Road Carriage running between London and Birmingham in 1835. Constructed by William Church, American inventor.
2. Birmingham rail, 1840s
Railway stations in the early days were strangely primitive affairs. Here is a picture of Birmingham Station on what was then the London and Birmingham Railway. It provides an interesting contrast to the vast New Street Station at Birmingham of the present day', circa 1934. Illustration showing Birmingham station in the early days of train travel, circa 1830s-1840s.
3. Birmingham New Street railway station, 1854
New Street railway station at the time of its official opening, June 1854. The station had the world's largest iron and glass roof.
4. Worcester Street, Birmingham, 1883
Worcester Street, Birmingham, 1883. View of New Street Station with Worcester Street to the left. This is a view of New Street Station in central Birmingham in the 1880s. The long glass roof of the station can be seen on the right hand side. Just visible on the far right is the corner of the old Bull Ring Market Hall.