Fears new Black Country railway station plan has hit the buffers after chancellors statement
Wendy Morton MP believes chancellor Rachel Reeves will put the final nail in the coffin of the planned new Aldridge Railway Station.
In her statement to the House of Commons yesterday Miss Reeves complained the previous Government had promised railway restoration projects without the money to pay for them.
The Transport Secretary and the Chancellor will look at the various projects, including the new stations in Aldridge and Darlaston, on a case by case basis.
Former Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street previously announced the £30 million new station would be open in 2027.
However, the chancellor said: "If we cannot afford a project, we can not go ahead with it."
Conservative Aldridge and Brownhills MP Wendy Morton, who raised the issue in the House of Commons last week, told the Express & Star, she fears the new station has hit the buffers, permanently.
She said: "In her statement I fear the chancellor has today given Mayor Parker the green light to STOP Aldridge Train Station in favour of his own pet projects. I hope I am proved wrong.
"It does however explain why the Mayor refused to give me an answer, preferring to hide behind a review. This is unacceptable to me and it is unacceptable to my Aldridge-Brownhills constituents."
The MP believes the new station would give a huge economic boost to her constituency and finally give the town the transport link it deserved.
She added: "Former Mayor Andy Street and I have been working with partners on this project , land is secured for the car park, the business case made and funding was identified in the CRSTS.
"Far from moving us forward, Labour are holding us back!"
New Labour West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker put the brakes on several major transport projects, including the Metro extension in Dudley, promised by his predecessor Mr Street claiming the money had not been secured for their completion.
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