Work on track to open two new railway stations in Black Country

Vital ground clearing and reclamation digging is coming to an end at the sites in James Bridge in Darlaston and off Bilston Street in Willenhall as part of the £55m project to improve public transportation links and help regenerate both towns.

Passenger transport chiefs at Transport for West Midlands and the West Midlands Combined Authority are aiming to get the stations open and ready for passengers by the winter 2025-26.

The scheme was thrown into doubt when the original contractor Buckingham Group filed for administration back in August last year, resulting in ground work on both sites grinding to a halt.

Since then new contractor Kier Transportation has been ploughing away on preparation work on the sites which will serve the Walsall-Wolverhampton line.

A Transport for West Midlands spokesperson said: “Since the appointment of Kier and the remobilisation of the project, significant progress has been made on the remediation of the old industrial land surrounding the stations.

"Through the construction of the new stations 3.5 acres of brownfield land will be remediated which will bring significant benefits to the area.

“With this extensive remediation and preparation work completed residents can expect to see platforms taking shape over the coming weeks and months.

“The opening of new stations and restoring passenger rail services to Darlaston and Willenhall will be transformative for the area for generations to come – better connecting residents with direct links to Walsall, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

"It will also attract investment and assist in regenerating this part of the Black Country. That is why, despite the difficulties last year, the West Midlands Combined Authority and partners remain committed to delivery of these two stations at the earliest opportunity.”

Two trains per hour will call at the new stations, including an hourly service between Walsall and Wolverhampton, and an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton. A new fast service planned on the Shrewsbury-Birmingham timetable is also scheduled to stop at the stations.

On completion the stations off Cemetery Road, James Bridge, in Darlaston and off Bilston Street, in Rose Hill, Willenhall, will provide the towns with a passenger rail link for the first time in more than 50 years. Both towns lost their stations in 1965 under the infamous Beeching railway cuts while the track remained intact for through trains.

In the 1960s more than 4,000 miles of rail lines were axed on cost and efficiency grounds.

Transport bosses have also set aside £1 million in funding to develop plans for three more railway stations including Tettenhall in Wolverhampton between Claregate and Pendeford on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury line; in Castle Bromwich in Birmingham; and in Binley in Coventry.