I'll look at case for connecting Black Country station to inter-city network, says Transport Secretary

The first stage of the tram link, from Wednesbury, via Dudley Port station, to Dudley town centre, is due to open by the end of the year. A second stretch, from Dudley to Brierley Hill, via the Merry Hill shopping centre, will open at the 'earliest possible opportunity'.

At the moment, long-distance express rail services stop at Sandwell & Dudley station in Oldbury, 2.7 miles from the proposed tram connection.

Mr Harper, who was in Wolverhampton to promote Jane Stevenson's campaign to be re-elected as MP for Wolverhampton North East, said the Government had strongly backed the £650 million plan to extend the tram network.

"We're very supportive of tram projects, we've put a lot of money into that," he said.

"When you have got the tram connectivity, you will then look at arguments for rail services, and we would look at a sensible business case.

"If the business case stacked up, the service having enough passengers to be profitable, and it didn't need huge amounts of capital investment, that would be looked at if the train companies want to bring those business cases forward."

A spokesman for West Midlands Rail Executive said discussions had been taking place with West Midlands Trains, which operates services to London and Liverpool.

"We are currently in discussions with West Midlands Trains about improving rail services to and from Dudley Port with a view to maximising the benefits of the new Metro interchange," he said.

"There do remain some practical and commercial challenges around this but we will continue to work with our partners to overcome them."

Mr Harper said he could not commit to a timescale for the electrification of the Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury rail line, which serves Codsall, Albrighton, Shifnal, Wellington and Telford.

"We have electrified a lot of the rail network, so one of the thing we are looking at now are the parts that haven't been electrified, and whether they should be," he said.

"We're looking at whether it's more cost effective to look at that, or whether it's the trains you run.

"We have new technology, and one of the things we are looking at is trains which can run on electric power where there is electric power, but can also have battery technology so they can run on the batteries where not, and that can be more cost effective than electrifying rail, particularly if you have to start raising bridges and doing lots of big infrastructure work, so I'm going to look at that, and which of those make sense."

Mr Harper said he was confident a new railway station would open on that stretch of line between Tettenhall and Pendeford if Miss Stevenson was re-elected.

He said the outline business case for that station had already been completed.

"It's work was funded when Andy Street was regional mayor, that work is going to be taken forward, I'm sure if Jane is re-elected she will be at the door of the new regional mayor making sure he continues to bring that train project forward," he said.