A red-fronted tram whizzing past Dudley Zoo and Castle – this image shows what the future of public transport could look like if funding for the Midland Metro extensions is secured.
New artists’ impressions have been relea-sed by transport bosses who are stepping up pressure for funds to make the tram dream a reality. Phase one of the extensions inclu-des a route from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill and would mean passengers could hop on board to travel to one of the region’s top tourist attractions.
It will create new links between shops, homes and offices and boost jobs for Dudley town centre, Merry Hill and Brierley Hill.
The Metro is considered key to tackling congestion in the region which figures show is costing the West Midlands economy more than £2.2 billion a year.
The existing Metro line from Snow Hill to Wolverhampton, which opened in 1999, has taken an estimated 1.2 million car journeys off the roads with 15 per cent of passengers using the tram instead of their cars for the same journey. It operates at around 99 per cent reliability and carries around five million passengers a year.
Dudley Council’s lead member for transport councillor Angus Adams said: “The Metro has major economic benefits by providing the links people need between their homes and where the jobs are.”
Merry Hill owners Westfield has pumped £36.5m into the scheme and boss Steven Hassel previously said: “The Metro scheme is crucial to improving transport links within the Black Country.
Last year the Express & Star revealed new details of the planned line publishing a map showing where trams will stop on the much-hyped route.
7 Comments
TWO LESSONS FROM PARIS :
1.WHEN YOU SPEND THIRTY YEARS DISCUSSING A TRAM LINK WHEN IT GETS BUILT YOU DISCOVER YOU REALLY NEEDED A FULLY-FLEDGED HIGH-CAPACITY UNDERGROUND LINE (CF THE PARIFERIQUE PROJECT WHICH IS NOW BEING CONCOCTED IN GREAT HASTE).
2.WHEN A TRAM IS SUCCESSFUL LIKE A MOTORWAY IT ATTRACTS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE (JUST LIKE NIGHT BUSES).THE TRAMS BECOME TOO SHORT AND TOO SMALL TO COPE VERY RAPIDLY AND YOU NEED TUNNELS AT CROSSROADS AND PRIORITY LIGHTING ETC.SO THE RESULT IS THE SAME : TEN TO FIFTEEN YEARS LATER YOU NEED THE SAME THING : A FULLY-FLEDGED UNDERGROUND OR OVERGROUND ON ITS OWN SITE.IT’S JUST LIKE THE NEED TO WIDEN MOTORWAYS LATER AND IT COSTS A LOT MORE AGAIN.
ADD TO THAT THE PREDICTED END OF AVAILABLE PETROL IN…..2020 or 2030.
Woah . your caps lock button stuck on ?
i hope its not too far in the future i dont drive so it takes me just under an hour to get to dudley
Good-morning!
Trams are great forms of transport to get in and
out of towns/cities,but only if they have their own
track beds that ensure they are not ensnarled with
other road users!Please visit major west european
cities,where tramlines are still being extended.
FJ Bartling,Hilversum,Holland.
REPLY TO JON.REMINDER : FRENCH KEYBOARDS ARE NOT THE SAME AS IN UK.IF YOU TYPE CERTAIN THINGS THEY COME OUT DIFFERENT IN THE UK.IT IS WORSE TYPING MESSAGES TO FRANCE ON A UK ONE.CQFD.
Why do we need to dig mega expensive holes? or block already busy roads? Elevated rails run very well in several major cities and cause little added congestion.
Cost little more up front but save future costs.
For those unable to climb steps, lifts can be provided quite economically if planned from the beginning, also covered escalators both present in underground systems anyway. Access from shopping malls or other buildings can be made at rail level, which would be cheaper than digging underground access routes.
This is just an ego trip for councillors and will do more harm than good to Dudley town centre.
When such a scheme operated in Sheffield, it sucked trade out of the city centre to the out-of-town Meadow Hall centre.
It is little wonder the Merry Hill centre management are so desperate to see it get the go ahead, particularly as it is a condition that it must be in place before the centre will be allowed to expand.
It would be better to re-open the old Dudley railway line, which would cost a lot less.