Concerns grow for opening of new tramline from Wednesbury to Dudley

Concerns are growing that the new tramline to Dudley will not open until next year, as the latest target date for opening looks set to be missed.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said he did not believe the much-delayed tram line from Wednesbury to Dudley town centre would be open this year, despite previous commitments from West Midlands Combined Authority which is responsible for the project.

Councillor Harley had previously called for ‘heads to roll’ at the combined authority over the repeated delays.

“I understand the bus station will be open more or less on time, but the I don’t expect the tram to be running until the new year now,” he said.

Work began on the tram extension in 2020, and it was originally due to have opened in 2023, but the project has been beset with delays.

In September, Councillor Harley said he had been told that both the tram line and the bus station would open on November 1, although he admitted he ‘wouldn’t be holding his breath’.

A source inside Transport for West Midlands (TFWM), the public transport arm of the combined authority, said neither scheme was likely to be ready by November 1, although the bus station would open for driver training next month.

Up until now, the body’s official position had been that the tram service would be operational ‘by the end of the year’, but a source said that was now in serious doubt, with an announcement expected within the next few days.

It was originally envisaged that a seven-mile route, from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill, would have been completed by 2023.

But the project has been hit by a string of delays, and was later divided into two phases amid rising costs and interruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

The first phase, a four-mile line stretch from Wednesbury to Dudley via Tipton and Dudley Port station, was then given an opening date of summer 2024, which was then postponed to autumn 2025.

Further delays then saw the opening of the first phase delayed until December, then ‘the new year’, before another opening date of August 28 this year was set. In June it was revealed that this target would also be missed, with the authority committing only to ‘autumn 2026’ - later revising it to ‘by the end of this year’.

The first test tram rolled into Dudley town centre, on June 24, terminating outside the Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre.

But it is understood that the testing process has thrown up complications, leading to further delays.

The second phase, which will run to the Merry Hill shopping centre, is due to be completed by 2028..

A TFWM spokesman said: “This is a complex testing and commissioning process involving partner organisations and industry regulators. Our priority through this phase is to ensure that we can guarantee a safe and reliable service for passengers.”