A lot of the news recently on the West Midlands Metro extension from Wednesbury to (eventually, subject to funding) Brierley Hill has been about the “re-phasing” of the project which has seen the section from Dudley to Brierley Hill delayed due to a lack of funding. But the section which is scheduled to open in 2024 – from Wednesbury to Dudley Town Centre – has also been seeing some significant progress with track continuing to go down in Dudley whilst as we reported earlier this month a new bridge is being installed on Sedgley Road. This update with photos from Andy Walters shows some of the more recent work which has been taking place.
As recently reported on a new bridge is being installed over Sedgley Road which is necessitating road closures and diversions up until mid-December. This view shows the work underway on the bridge with the supports either side being constructed.
One bridge which has already been completed is that around 200 yards to the south of it.
Work on the laying of track on Castle Hill in Dudley Town Centre (close to the zoo) has been continuing too.
Track in both directions is now going down and this view shows a concrete pour underway.
With the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre on the right here track is also starting to go down for the trams. (All Photographs by Andy Walters, 24th October 2022)
One would wonders why a new over bridge in Victoria Road is constructed with a height limit, even when the tramway will need to pass under the canal & railway at Dudley Port station 480metres away.
I wonder how one would define progress. The work on Castle Hill does not seem to have moved on significantly since I was there in the Spring. Perhaps resources were temporarily diverted elsewhere. When one considers how many complete tramway systems were built during two or three years at the beginning of the 20th century, the rate of progress these days is laughable.