The second phase of the West Midlands Metro is set to begin construction in the new year and will add five new tram stops. The exciting new section of the project has a budget of £261.4 million and will connect Flood Street in Dudley Town center to Brierley Hill.
The current west midlands tram system runs on a single line operating between Wolverhampton and Edgebaston, passing through Birmingham city center. Phase one of the Black Country tram extension to the network is already under construction, where it will branch off its current line just east of Wednesbury Great Western Street and head through Tipton towards Dudley Town Centre. According to the Midland Metro Alliance (MMA) this first phase is expected to be open to passenger services in Autumn 2025, as work on its construction is expected to ramp up concurrently with works on the new Brierley hill section.
The project is led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), who are part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). In 2023, the WMCA partitioned the original Phase 2 into three separate phases due to concerns of affordability, this includes phase 2b, which aims to connect the Waterfront to Merry Hill shopping Centre. The WMCA Board met on November 15th to give this phase of the project the green light.
The report from this board meeting stated the delivery of the tram scheme is essential to realising WMCA and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council’s vision for the corridor, which has been identified as a key growth zone with the potential to accommodate over 4000 additional new homes, with many of these sites clustered around the Waterfront and Merry Hill stops delivered as part of this phase. The board claims this project improves accessibility to jobs and housing throughout the region and provides significantly more connectivity.
The extension is also located across areas of deprivation and can act as a catalyst for increased employment for those in the area. The extension will support Dudley Mayor’s priorities of the Growth for Everyone scheme, offering a genuine alternative to car travel, which will improve environmental outcomes. The MMA suggests that another important driver for this route is the creation of a link from this part of the Black Country to HS2.
This project has, however already seen a 20-month delay. A WMCA report in June 2022 pointed the reasons for this delay to rises in costs caused by inflationary pressures within the supply chain triggered by the COVID pandemic and the war with Ukraine.
Only time will tell when the project will be completed on time and whether it is set to stay under budget, but WMCA’s proposed results of the extension, if realised, will bring more prosperity to the Black Country from a social, environmental and economic standpoint.
References
Liam Brooker. 15 November. Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Phase 2b. WMCA Board
Midland Metro Alliance. 2024. Wednesbury To Brierley Hill Metro Extension. Available at: https://metroalliance.co.uk/projects/wednesbury-to-brierley-hill-extension/ [Accessed 19/11/2024]
West Midlands Combined Authority. 2024. Next stage of Black Country Metro tram extension confirmed. Available at: Next stage of Black Country Metro tram extension confirmed [Accessed 20/11/2024]
Peter Madeley. 2022. Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension in doubt after cost rises to £550 million. The Express and Star 21 July
