Last piece of track welded into place on Castle Hill in Dudley

A lot of the extension news from the West Midlands Metro in recent weeks and months hasn’t exactly been at the positive end of the scale but this should change that a little bit as a milestone has been reached on the scheme to extend the tramway to Dudley. That milestone has seen the final piece of track on Castle Hill, Dudley welded and will soon mean that two-way traffic will again be possible on the road early in 2023.

There remains some work to be completed in the area bit this is expected to finish in the coming weeks and when eventually it is Castle Hill will be reopened to traffic in both directions – this is expected to happen in early 2023.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: ““It’s great news that work in this area for the Black Country Metro route is coming to a conclusion which means that within the next two years Dudley will benefit from a regular Metro service connecting in to both Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Congratulations to Midland Metro Alliance on reaching this milestone. I look forward to local residents making use of this service in the years ahead.”

He was joined in celebrating the milestone by Cllr Simon Phipps, Dudley Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Enterprise, who said: “We recognise this work has caused disruption for some of our residents and local businesses in the area. I would like to thank them for their patience while this essential work has been completed. In just a few weeks both lanes of traffic will reopen for road users and this will have a positive impact on peoples day-to-day journeys in the borough.”

Work has been underway from Castle Hill since back in 2019 with utilities diverted and upgraded ahead of the construction and the trackbed and then the installation of tracks. The area is also being refreshed with a new look and feel. During the work there has been traffic management in place which has seen traffic only able to travel in one direction but this will change from early 2023.

The extension of West Midlands Metro to Dudley is currently scheduled to open in 2024. Originally part of a longer route due to run through to Brierley Hill, it was announced earlier this year that it would now be delivered in two phases with that beyond Dudley now having a funding shortfall. Its not clear when, or even if, the line to Brierley Hill will be developed further. The section to Dudley leaves the current West Midlands Metro line at Wednesbury.