Brierley Hill tram link back on track after Chancellor's Budget boost
Plans to extend the West Midland Metro tram extension to Brierley Hill town centre appear to be back on track after the Chancellor announced a funding boost in the Budget.
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The news comes three months after Transport for West Midlands announced that the tram extension was being cut back due to rising costs.
It was announced in July that the opening of the final phase of the Wednesbury-Dudley-Brierley Hill tram line was being shelved due to a lack of funding.
But Chancellor Rachel Reeves appeared to suggest the scheme was back on track as she announced £1.3 billion extra transport funding in today's Budget.
"We will deliver £1.3 billion of funding to improve connectivity in our city regions, like the Brierley Hill Metro extension in the West Midlands, the renewal of the Sheffield Supertram, and the West Yorkshire mass transit to Bradford and Leeds," she said.
In July, it was announced that the opening of the first phase, from Wednesbury to Dudley town centre, would be delayed by a year. It was due to open by the end of this year, but will now not open until next year.
The second phase, from Dudley to the Waterfront office park, was also delayed, while funding for the third section, from the Waterfront to the Merry Hill shopping centre hung in the balance. It was decided to suspend the final stretch, from the Merry Hill centre to Brierley Hill.
