Prime Minister Gordon Brown has refused to guarantee his backing for the proposed extension to the Midland Metro light rail system.
Mr Brown pledged to continue to invest in the future of the West Midlands economy and transport links in the region.
But, in an exclusive interview with the Express & Star, he left the fate of the Metro firmly in the hands of the Black Country itself.
The business case for the £386million Midland Metro Phase One extensions, which includes a route in the Black Country from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill via Dudley and a new line from Snow Hill into Birmingham City Centre, was submitted to Government in 2006.
But funding for the extensions could be reliant on the region taking on a form of congestion charging on the roads, which would help pay for Metro improvements.
Mr Brown said:
Full interview in Friday’s Express & Star.
13 Comments
Well it’s not in London is it? Any spare millions must go to the Olympics….Why should car drivers who never use the Metro have to pay for it’s extension?
Thanks Comrade Brown, can we refuse to pledge our tax?
our taxses are being wasted by the ton ,labour say there’s no money for the midland metro YET give
india 850 million pounds of our tax money,but india is thriving in business,but the midland economy
is almost dead,rover,beanworks tipton,over 20 foundrys in the last 20 years all gone,the midlands should become the new kosovo,then we’ll see were our taxses are being spent.
WHY VOTE LABOUR ? they do nothing for us
NORTHERN ROCK 1 - ANYTHING ELSE 0
Shouldn’t the government build the extended metro first then put a congestion charge in place. Poster no.1 you already fund public transport through your council tax.
And these are the people who want us to use more public transport. How Infuriating this is but who keeps voting these idiots in?
Well what do you expect yet more double standards fromTHISgovernment!Surely the extra V a t gained
on the petrol would provide some of the funding ? OOPs i forgot nthat probably goes towards m.p.s
expenses pension schcmes and second houses a fine example set by these strong labour socialists
TIME TO GO MR BROWN
I think this is great news, the Midland Metro will do nothing for ordinary people - the only benficiaries will be ego-maniac councillors who will be queuing up to have their picture taken with it, and the Merry Hill Centre which will not be allowed to expand without it.
If it goes ahead it will mean years of roadworks while it is being built, blight on the homes of the people who have the misfortune to live along the route, and more damage to Dudley town centre as it sucks yet more trade away to Merry Hill.
The Metro in Wolverhampton is usually near-empty, regularly breaks down, and causes confusion for motorists and pedestrians, often resulting in road accidents.
Besides which, how many people will actually be able to use it? Suppose you live in Gornal - are you going to drive in your car to Wednesbury to get a tram to Brierley Hill, or will you just drive straight there in your car.
The Metro is a total waste of taxpayers’ money, and it would cost a fraction of that amount to re-open the Dudley railway line.
We need the jobs BOSTER - think about it !!
BOSTER - you are talking utter clap trap… In case you hadn’t noticed, the trams take an awful lot of cars off the road routes between destinations. How environmentally aware are you? Or do you not give a damm about the future for all of us? Disruption is inevitable, but when managed correctly it is kept to a minimum. And for a number of years, a lot of utility works have been making allowances for the planned routes anyway - saving a lot of time. Your “facts” about the Metro are grossly misleading, especially the issue of causing confusion for other road users (suggest you read the Highway Code before you type). I laughed at your suggestion that Gornal residents would drive to Wednesbury to go to Brierley Hill - funny how there are planned tram stops through Dudley then. And re-opening the rail line is far more costly than light rail - FACT!!! You really ought to check your information before making such a fool of yourself with your laughable comments….
LET THEM USE TUK-TUKS !
Geoff - the last figure I saw estimated the cost or reopening the railway line from Lichfield to Stourbridge, via Dudley and Walsall, at £80 million, compared to around £120 million for the Metro link which ends at Brierley Hill.
No, I hadn’t noticed the Midland Metro taking an “awful lot of cars off the road” in Wolverhampton. I have sat in my car in a queue of traffic waiting for a near empty-tram (which also creates pollution at the point where the electricity is generated) to go past.
A rail link, which is generally quicker than a car, would get more vehicles off the road than the slow, noisy and uncomfortable Metro.
I’m glad my point about somebody living in Gornal caused you some mirth, but the point I am making is that if you live in the north of Dudley borough (Sedgley, Gornal, Coseley) or the south (Halesowen or Stourbridge) the Metro is pretty much a waste of time as most of the stops are pretty much equi-distant - nobody from Gornal is going to park their car in Dudley town centre to get a tram for Brierley Hill when they can drive there directly.
And one more thought – it is not possible to re-open the Stourbridge to Walsall railway link, how about improving the Dudley Port railway station to take Inter-City trains, and linking it to Dudley town centre with a low-cost, light tram system such as the Parry People Mover? A fraction of the cost, and would boost Dudley town centre rather than sucking trade out to the Merry Hill centre