'One disaster after another': Fears grow that opening of Dudley tram link could be delayed until next year
Fears are growing that the long-awaited new tram line from Wednesbury to Dudley may not be open to passengers until next year.
The five-mile tram line was due to have opened last year, but rising costs led to the opening date being put back until autumn this year.
But concerns have been growing in recent weeks as the work has fallen behind schedule, and Dudley Council leader Councillor Patrick Harley said he did not now expect trams to be running before Christmas.
It is understood a series of meetings will be held over the next few days to decide on an opening date.
Councillor Harley voiced his frustration at the delay, saying that if the scheme had been left to Dudley and Sandwell councils alone, it would have been completed much more quickly.
"From what I've heard, the trams will be running along the tracks by Christmas, but it will not be ready to open to the public," he said.
The route will not be allowed to carry passengers until a rigorous testing programme has been carried out, and that is unlikely to be completed before the end of the year.
"It's been one disaster after another as far as I'm concerned," said Councillor Harley. "The way things are going, we could have the Dudley Interchange [bus and tram station] finished before the trams are running, which is ridiculous when you think about how long the Metro scheme has been going on for.
"I'm sure if this had just been done by the local authorities concerned, it would have been delivered much more quickly at much less cost."
The line is part of a wider scheme that was originally scheduled to run to Brierley Hill town centre, and was due to open in time for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
The project was beset by delays and funding problems, and it was decided to split the construction into phases, with the Wednesbury-Dudley section opening first, followed by a second section to the Waterfront office park, a third stretch to the Merry Hill shopping centre, and a final phase connecting to Brierley Hill town centre.
But last year it was also announced that the link between the Merry Hill centre and Brierley Hill had been shelved due to a lack of funding. The connection between the Waterfront and Merry Hill centre was also thrown into doubt, but Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that funding would be made available in last year's budget.
Work commenced in November on the second, three-mile section, which is expected to open to the Merry Hill centre in 2027.
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