Dudley and Birmingham bus services to get £30 million overhaul
Bus services are set to be transformed after the Government announced a £30 million investment.
New bus lanes will be created, junctions will be upgraded, and bus stops will be given a makeover.
The improvements will focus on Dudley, Birmingham city centre, and links to the south and west of Birmingham, all offering passengers quicker connections.
The investment is backed by a grant of more than £24m from the Department for Transport, topped up with funding from West Midlands Bus Alliance partners, which includes Birmingham City Council and Transport for West Midlands, part of the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “We are already seeing bus use beginning to rise in the West Midlands – bucking the national trend – thanks to measures such as half-price travel for all 16 to 18-year-olds, convenient contactless ticketing, and live travel information apps.
“Now this new investment from Government will allow us to further improve bus journeys across the region, making them quicker and more reliable and helping to better connect people to work and leisure opportunities throughout the West Midlands.”
Councillor Ian Ward, the combined authority’s portfolio holder for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council said: “Bus is the most popular form of transport in the region, accounting for more than 260 million journeys a year and we are looking to make it even more attractive and encourage people to leave their cars at home.
“This is also part of our wider investment in public transport including reopening rail stations, expanding the Metro network and introducing Sprint rapid bus services to create a better connected West Midlands. We look forward to working in partnership with our Bus Alliance partners to deliver better bus services to the residents of Birmingham and the wider region”
It is hoped that the new links will benefit 73 million passengers a year.
The news comes after plans for a shake-up of routes in areas of Dudley were announced in August.
Some services could change at the end of this month, under proposals by National Express West Midlands.
According to the company, more bus services, a simpler network, new direct links between Stourbridge, Wollaston and Merry Hill to Roseville and Wolverhampton and more links to Russells Hall Hospital are planned as part of the changes.
But some people may lose a direct link or have to alter the time they travel if the plans go ahead.
