Work has begun on the £295 million West Midlands Metro tram extension, funded through the government’s £1.05 billion sustainable transport settlement.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander visited the West Midlands site to mark spades in the ground on the project.
Funded through the government’s £1.05 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), the project aims to improve connections for currently underserved communities.
The investment will mean trams will run from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill, and provide faster, more reliable transport connections between Dudley and Brierley Hill to the city centre and wider West Midlands.
Providing a first-time light rail connection for many local residents, the extension aims to reduce journey times by 30 per cent.
The first phase of the extension is already underway and due to open to passengers in autumn of this year.
Delivery team: The project is being delivered by The Midland Metro Alliance, which was formed in 2016 and consists of:
- The West Midlands Combined Authority,
- Egis
- Tony Gee
- Pell Frischmann
- Colas Rail
- sub-alliance partners:
- Colas
- Barhale
- Bouygues UK
- Auctus Management Group
Alexander said: “Residents in and around the Black Country have been chronically underserved by public transport, limiting access to jobs and opportunities and stunting economic growth.
“We’re turning the tide on poor transport connections in the West Midlands and delivering a transport system that people can rely on, raising living standards across the region.”
The Parkhead Viaduct in Dudley, an iconic 19th Century Brunel structure, will come back into use as part of the Metro route.
Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Extending the metro further into the Black Country opens up routes for job opportunities, skills and growth, ensuring fast, reliable journeys for everyone across the West Midlands.”
Now that I have secured the funding from government and we’ve got the approvals needed, the work can start to make this long-awaited project a reality
The restoration of this viaduct shows how we can protect our region’s industrial heritage while developing modern infrastructure.”
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