As October turns to November the wait goes on for the opening of the latest West Midlands Metro extension with the Black Country Line between Wednesbury and Dudley still waiting for an official opening date. Dudley Council Leader Cllr Patrick Harley had claimed earlier this year that he had been told it would open on 1st November (his second date of the year after previously giving 28th August) but no exact date has ever come out of the West Midlands Combined Authority with the vague “autumn 2026” still in any official literature. Things haven’t been dormant on the extension though with regular testing having been taking place as we see in this article.
We recently saw overnight full service simulation and beyond that there remains regular tram moves on the extension – trams 18 and 44 have been almost permanent fixtures on the line in recent weeks.
These photos come from Dudley Port tramstop and in this image we see the car park located alongside the stop.
44 is now seen on test as it pauses at the stop. The stop has bridges either side of the platforms and there is also a crossover as seen behind the tram.
Another look at 44 at the platform. You will also notice this section of line is battery operated with no overhead wires installed. (All Photographs by Michael Morton, 22nd October 2026)
- Video from this visit is also available on Podbaba Transport’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/xYgN1GKKims?si=B5kN7CO7OFBdhuSz. Whilst there you will find plenty of other videos from the West Midlands, Blackpool, Prague, and beyond!