First Midlands Metro tram reaches Dudley

On 24 June the first test run took place all along the new six-mile (9.6km) Midlands Metro line from a triangular junction with the existing Birmingham–Wolverhampton line at Wednesbury to the new terminus at Dudley, Flood Street. The alignment uses the old Tipton low-level railway line at Dudley Port before becoming street based in Dudley at the Zoo in Castle Hill. The last tram operated in Dudley on 1 March 1930 when the previous line was replaced by buses. It had been hoped to open the new line for passenge5 service on 28 August, but this has been postponed by two or three months. 

 

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said, ‘Seeing the first tram run past Dudley Zoo is an exciting milestone for the project. Shoppers and visitors to the town will be seeing more of the trams over the coming weeks as we ramp up the testing programme. This has to be rigorous and extensive because our number one priority is to make surenthe service is safe and reliable for passengers when it opens’. 

The £650M project started in February 2020 with the aim of opening in December 2023, but the COVID pandemic soon made that timescale unrealistic. Costs then increased and further funding had to be identified to permit the work to continue. A further 1.4km extension from Dudley to Merry Hill shopping centre has been approved with £295M in funding.