By £13m government cash puts Very Light Rail back on track in Dudley
Very Light Rail is back on track in Dudley – after the government answered a plea to meet a £13 million shortfall in funding for the scheme.
The proposed £28 million Very Light Rail Test Track and National Innovation Centre will be located in Castle Hill in Dudley.
The site is that of the former Dudley rail station, which ceased passenger services in the 1960s, and is adjacent to a disused freight line running between Stourbridge and Walsall.
The alignment will initially be re-laid with a single test track from Castle Hill to Cinder Bank. This will be used for prototype trials, allowing for testing and evaluation of demonstrator vehicles and systems.
Dudley Council leader Patrick Harley, in partnership with the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority, urged ministers to step in and support the next phase of the project.
Councillor Harley wrote to Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to say the whole scheme was “under threat” unless the cash could be found and a reply this week confirmed the government would be contributing £12.35 million towards the shortfall. The balance of funding required will come from the Black Country LEP.
Councillor Harley said: “I am absolutely delighted – I asked for this to be treated as the highest of priorities by the government and they have come through for us.
“The Very Light Rail Test Track and National Innovation Centre (NIC) is a key project for our borough.
“It will offer an innovative and exciting opportunity to provide lower cost local rail connectivity, encouraging shift from private vehicles towards public transport.
“It will put Dudley on the national map – and with the money in place, things will now start to move quickly to deliver it.”
