Key route to reopen Metro extension works
The team working on the first phase of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension celebrated a major milestone as the last piece of track was welded on Castle Hill.
The milestone means that the activity on the busy throughfare is set to be completed in the coming weeks allowing the road to reopen to two-way traffic early in 2023.
This latest step forward in the project was celebrated by local politicians and members of the construction team from the Midland Metro Alliance who have designed and built the route on behalf of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM).
West Midlands mayor Andy Street and Councillor Simon Phipps, Dudley Council cabinet member for Regeneration and Enterprise, shared their congratulations as they joined the team on site as work entered the final stage in this area.
Mr Street 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. ”
Councillor Simon Phipps added: “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. ”
The Midland Metro Alliance has been carrying out work on Castle Hill since early 2019; first to upgrade and divert buried utilities in the area, which was completed in summer 2019, before returning in the spring of 2020 to construct track bed, lay tram tracks, and improve the street scene with a refreshed look and feel for the area.
Throughout the complex construction programme traffic has flowed in one direction to Castlegate island. It is expected that Castle Hill will re-open in both directions to vehicular traffic by early 2023.
The Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension will boost public transport in the Black Country, providing much-needed links to the existing heavy and light rail networks, and helping to connect people to education, training and career opportunities further afield in the West Midlands.
When the route opens to the public in late 2024, an additional nine stops will be added to the West Midlands Metro network linking people in Dudley town centre to both Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Pictured (L-R): : Andy Street and Councillor Simon Phipps joined the team from the MMA to mark the final weld on Castle Hill