New Tettenhall railway station plan is on track
Plans for a railway station in Tettenhall have passed through their latest hurdle with the scheme set to be considered for Government funding.
The initial plans for the project were given the green light in the Department for Transport's first round of bidding, and are now being examined in the second stage of the process.
If it is successful then the final plans will be drawn up and costed, followed by a full public consultation before it is passed over the the Treasury for funding.
The idea for a station in Tettenhall was initially floated by South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson and has been spearheaded by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Wolverhampton South West MP Stuart Anderson.
See also:
Mr Anderson said: "There is a lot of work going in to get this off the ground and I'm very happy with how the plans are progressing.
"We need a railway station in the Tettenhall/Aldersley area and I look forward to see the plans moving forward."
Last year the scheme was backed by then-Chancellor Sajid Javid. It is currently undergoing a feasibility study by the West Midlands Rail Executive.
The station would serve as the first stop after trains leave Wolverhampton, before travelling on into Bilbrook, Codsall and into Shropshire.
Tettenhall previously had a station on the Wombourne Branch Line, which opened in 1925 but closed seven years later due to low usage.
Plans are also at an advanced stage for new stations in Darlaston and Willenhall, which are on course to be opened in 2022 when the Wolverhampton-Walsall line reopens to passengers.
Meanwhile Ministers this week announced that 50 projects to restore railway lines closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s have entered bids for Government funding.
They include proposals from MPs in the Midlands to reopen the Stratford upon Avon to Honeybourne-Worcester/Oxford line as well as improved services from Melton Mowbray to Nottingham.
Between 1964 and 1970, around 1,400 stations and 5,200 miles of track were closed following a report by British Railways chairman Dr Richard Beeching, which said a third of the network should be axed due to low demand and high costs.
