Dudley tramline delayed until 2027 due to safety issue

The much-delayed tramline to Dudley will not open until next year, it has been announced.

A spokesman for Transport for West Midlands said ‘a safety critical issue’ had been identified during testing, which had required additional engineering work.

He said passenger services were now expected to begin ‘in early 2027’, adding that the training of drivers was yet to start.

He said the line, which runs from the existing tram line in Wednesbury, through Tipton into Dudley town centre, was in the final stages of testing and commissioning.

“We expect passenger services to begin in early 2027,” he said. “We also anticipate beginning driver training on the line very soon.”

He said resolving the safety issue had taken longer than anticipated, and this had affected the project timetable.

The announcement comes on the day that the West Midlands Combined Authority board agreed to appoint an independent expert to look at the cause of the repeated delays into the opening of the line.

Richard Parker, elected mayor for the West Midlands, said the people of Dudley had been badly let down.

The Transport for West Midlands spokesman said: “We recognise that residents, businesses and future passengers have been waiting longer than expected for the extension to open and that anticipated opening dates have changed as the project has progressed. We understand the frustration and disappointment this has caused.”

But he added that safety had to be the overriding priority.

“We have consistently said that the line will only open once we are fully satisfied it is safe for passenger operations and all necessary approvals have been secured,” said the spokesman.

“This is a complex engineering project involving more than four miles of track, signalling, junctions and electrical systems. It is only through extensive testing of every individual system, with trams operating on the route, that some issues can be identified and resolved.

“While we recognise this means waiting longer than anyone would like, we will not compromise on safety to meet a particular date.”

The spokesman said the testing and safety assurance programme, overseen by independent assessors, was now nearing completion.

“Driver training will then begin, a safety-critical stage that allows time for route familiarisation, timetable testing and final operational preparations before passenger services begin,” he said.

“Passengers can have confidence that every aspect of the extension will have been thoroughly tested and independently scrutinised before it enters service. We are now in the final stages of the project and remain focused on delivering a safe, reliable and high-quality Metro service from day one.”