Delayed Walsall railway station projects back on track with new contractor
Plans for new railway stations to built in Willenhall and Darlaston are still on track after public transport chiefs struck a fresh deal with a new contractor.
Bosses feared the £55 million scheme would hit the buffers when the original contractor Buckingham Group filed for administration back in August two months ago, resulting in ground work on both sites grinding to a halt.
Since then construction company Kier Transportation has bought Buckingham's rail division in a move which has saved 180 jobs. Now Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has come to an agreement with the new contractor to continue, meaning work on the sites on the Walsall-Wolverhampton line can now resume.
Walsall Council leader Mike Bird and West Midlands Combined Authority transport boss said: “Although there have been a difficult few weeks on site we can now look ahead with renewed enthusiasm.
"This will not only offer local people easy access to the railways, it will make Willenhall and Darlaston more attractive to investors and businesses, creating regeneration opportunities and new jobs for locals.
“This is why it is vital we get back to work at the earliest opportunity.”
West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: “For Buckingham Group staff who were working on Willenhall and Darlaston stations the last few weeks have understandably been a difficult time.
“That’s why it’s great news that we will see many of them back on site now that we have reached agreement with Kier. We wanted any pause or disruption in works to be kept to an absolute minimum and we worked closely with Kier to resolve this matter swiftly.
“Most importantly of all for residents right across our region, this means we can now get on with delivering these railway stations – providing the better transport connectivity that local people in Willenhall and Darlaston want to see.”
On completion the stations off Cemetery Road, James Bridge, in Darlaston and off Bilston Street, in Rose Hill, Willenhall, will provide the towns with a passenger rail link for the first time in more than 50 years.
Kier Transportation managing director Joe Incutti added: “We’re pleased that the contract novation for the Willenhall and Darlaston station projects has been completed following our acquisition of parts of the Buckingham Group.
“We can now remobilise the team and continue our work on this important project.
“Connecting people is our common goal. We are therefore delighted to be working with West Midlands Combined Authority on this project, and to have the opportunity to build an enduring relationship with the authority to support its ambitions in the region."
Two trains per hour will call at the new stations with an hourly service between Walsall and Wolverhampton and an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
TfWM said due to the halt in construction works the budget and the timetable will be subject to a detailed review over the coming weeks.
An update on the project will be presented to the combined authority's board on Friday.
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