Wolverhampton cabbies asked to use residential street near station as taxi rank

The advice to use it while an additional rank is created has come from the council after improvements to the railway station saw a new entrance open for motorists on January 8.

Part of the city's £132 million interchange improvements, the entrance has motorists accessing the station, multi-storey car park, short-stay parking, passenger drop-off/pick-up area and taxi rank via Corn Hill.

A new taxi rank forms part of the new entrance, with only 13 spaces available for vehicles. Now, council bosses have revealed that Hackney carriage drivers have been given the go-ahead to park along Albion Street during the 'interim period' whilst the new location of a feeder rank is determined. A feeder rank is one that accommodates the over spill of vehicles when a main rank is full.

A Wolverhampton council spokesman said: "The intention is to provide a permanent taxi feeder rank for the railway station once access to the Sun Street/Corn Hill area is fully open. The exact location of the taxi feeder rank has yet to be decided but it is envisaged it will be available for use from next month. In the interim, Hackney carriages can use Albion Street as a temporary feeder rank. Civil Enforcement Officers have been advised not to enforce parking restrictions against Hackney Carriages in Albion Street during this interim period."

Endera Singh, secretary of the Wolverhampton Hackney Carriage Association said: "There are 109 permitted drivers in the city and only 13 spaces at the station's rank.

"This is a temporary solution while the council look for a more permanent place for us.

"From speaking with all our drivers, I know that they are respectful to the residents who live along Albion Street and there is no noise like the beeping of horns.

"We all just want to work, and we're happy that the council have given us permission to use this space, but obviously we would prefer if we had more room at the station itself."

Mr Singh continued: "It does get quite hectic there.

"It is quite narrow round the entrance. You've got the taxi rank on the one side and a drop-off on the other side with bays and people getting out all along that route. So it does get quite congested.

"We just want to make a living.

"It's definitely a good thing that we have been given this option to use the street in the meantime."

The previous entrance, which was along Railway Drive, has since been closed to motorists, with coaches only able to use the Drive as an exit-only route for rail replacement services. Eventually, a Midland Metro line will run the length of the former access road.

As part of the work to enhance the station, the number of spaces available in the extended multi-story car park has almost doubled – going from 450 to 800.

The new access changes are phase one of the new station, with works due to begin soon on demolishing the existing station building and replacing it with a new one.

This new building will have an enhanced Birmingham New Street-style ticket office, a larger passenger concourse, more ticket barriers to ease flow on and off platforms, and improved retail and café facilities.