Bosses reveal plans for tramline testing from Wednesbury to Dudley
Tram testing work will start on the new Wednesbury to Dudley track early this year, transport chiefs have revealed.
The track between the two towns has been extended as part of a long-awaited £400 million project to boost Black Country regeneration and improve public transport connections in the region.
Transport for West Midlands, which manages public transport in the region, told the Express & Star it "will be looking to start tram testing as early in 2026 as possible". This is after the agency stated that passengers will be able to use the service in the new year.
Chiefs had hoped the West Midlands Metro line from Wednesbury to Dudley would be open and running by the end of 2025 subject to testing and legal requirements, but this has not yet materialised. Now the agency has indicated that the testing programme will be launched as soon as possible, with no date set.
The new tramline will link up to the existing Wolverhampton-Birmingham line at a new junction created near Wednesbury town centre. In addition the depot off Potters Lane in Wednesbury has been extended to cope with the extra capacity.
The line, which was first proposed in the mid-1990s, was due to have opened to services in autumn 2024, but a report revealed it had been hit by rising costs and delays.
Tourism bosses hope the new link will boost footfall for attractions in the area including Black Country Living Museum with a targeted 500,000 visitors a year.
In the meantime preparation work has started on the next phase which is a £292 million link between Dudley's under construction £24m bus interchange in the town centre to, the Brierley Hill Waterfront office and leisure complex, and the Merry Hill shopping centre. Work has started at the Parkhead Viaduct off Peartree Lane and on a temporary roundabout in Level Street has resulted in lane closures in the vicinity.
Dudley's new bus station, which will also include platforms for trams, is due to open in spring 2026.
The construction work has seen a series of new bridges built to carry the track including above the Birmingham New Road at Dudley replacing the landmark Hanson's Bridge and in nearby Tipton in Coneygre Road, Tipton, to accommodate the new tramway and a crossing was installed in Tipton Road.
There will be tram stops in Station Drive near Dudley Zoo, Tipton Road, Birmingham New Road, Sedgley Road, Dudley Port, Horseley Road, and Great Bridge. There are also plans to extend the Birmingham tramline to the east of the city centre and efforts were underway to recruit more divers and engineers.
Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker said in 2025 he had been work to plug a £120m deficit in the regional transport budgets.
"It’s important for the folks in the West Midlands who we want to improve the lives and opportunities for so we focused on that.
“It demonstrates to people on the ground we are delivering stuff and it’s important for the board to have confidence and it’s important for our relationship with the Government.
“We’re spending Government’s money, so we’ve got to demonstrate to them they can have confidence in our capability to deliver," Mr Parker said.
