£28 million Dudley rail centre on track to deliver 225 jobs and 331 apprenticeships
A multi-million pound rail centre will deliver more than 200 jobs and 300 apprenticeships across the next five years, council bosses have revealed.
Contracts are on the verge of being signed for the £27.8 million very light rail complex at Dudley's Castle Hill.
And council chiefs have promised the 'world class' centre will create 225 jobs, 331 apprenticeships and 33 new businesses by 2021.
The route of the very light rail will run from this centre through Dudley Tunnel before terminating close to Cinder Bank.
News of the centre's opportunities have been revealed in papers due to come before Dudley Council's cabinet meeting next week.
The document states: "The project will create a world class research, development and educational centre focussed on the creation of innovative Very Light Rail vehicles on land in the ownership of the Council at Castle Hill.
"The centre, requiring the use of test track facilities, would be ideally situated adjacent to the mothballed freight line.
"Working in partnership with the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), other higher education bodies, transport suppliers and neighbouring local authorities, the centre will lead on the development of the vehicles, associated infrastructure and training for the next generation of public transport solutions."
The modern centre, to develop and test the next generation of light rail systems, will link Dudley to the national rail network for the first time in more than 50 years.
Dudley Council's cabinet member for transport, Khurshid Ahmed, said: "It is not just nationally but internationally significant, as part of the old Beeching lines being reopened."
He added: "It is really good news that it is going to create 225 jobs and more than 300 apprenticeships by the end of 2021, but we are also looking to generate even more job creation."
The cabinet members are recommended to give the authorisation for the next stage of the project to take place.
These include entering into a 25 year lease with Network Rail for use of the test track, from who they also need to acquire the freehold of a small tract of land.
A procurement for design consultants and construction contractor will also need to be undertaken, before contracts are signed with the successful bidders.
Dudley was one of the biggest communities in the country to be hit as a result of the closures brought about by Dr Richard Beeching's report.
Following his findings the station at the bottom of Castle Hill was closed in July 1964.
