Construction work on the next phase of the long-awaited Dudley Metro expansion could begin in January

The October 22 meeting of the borough’s Overview and Review Committee heard an update on the second phase of the project, which will connect Dudley to the Beach at Merry Hill Centre.

Phase one, connecting Dudley City center to Wednesbury, where passengers will have access to Wolverhampton and Birmingham, is expected to be completed in autumn 2025.

Regarding the next chapter, Transport for West Midlands managing director Anne Shaw OBE told the meeting: “We have taken the business case through the approval process.

“It passed the combined authority board in July and was agreed by leaders to be submitted to the Department for Transport for final approval. It is fully funded, the business case says; There is a Ministry of Transport meeting in November where recommendations will be accepted.

“We are planning to start construction in January in terms of ministry approval, everything is fine.”

The original plan had tackled the entire project in one phase, but the rise in costs post-Covid meant the project had to be split into three parts to remain cost-effective.

The final section from the Waterfront to Brierley Hill town center is to be approved with a business case still being worked on to secure funding.

As work on phase one continued, concerns were heard at the meeting about the behavior of some workers; including a report that contractors were seen drinking beer on site.

Ms Shaw said: “Health and safety is mandatory on our sites, no one has ever made this known to me before.

“Health and safety is absolutely paramount; we take what the public sees seriously and any evidence would be welcomed.”