Plans for new railway stations get £10m boost

Plans to reopen two railway stations on the Walsall to Wolverhampton line have taken a major step forward with a £10m cash injection.

The grant, from the Department for Transport (DfT), will go towards the construction of new stations at Darlaston and Willenhall.  Further costs are being met from the region’s HS2 Connectivity Fund.
Original stations in Darlaston and Willenhall closed in 1965 and only through services have used the line since then.

Now passenger services will resume on the line offering residents improved connections to Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham New Street.

They will also unlock land for housing, industrial and commercial development along the rail route.

The project is being led by the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), working in close collaboration with the DfT, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway, Walsall Council and the City of Wolverhampton Council.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “I am delighted that our ambition to reopen the Walsall to Wolverhampton railway line to passengers has moved a significant step closer with this latest funding from government.

“Not only will the money help us to build high-class stations at both Darlaston and Willenhall, but these new stations will help drive significant regeneration of the Walsall to Wolverhampton corridor.

“By getting people out of their cars and onto this re-opened passenger line we are tackling both congestion and the climate change emergency at the same time. This announcement really is brilliant news.”
Both stations will have long-stay car parks, with 300 spaces provided at Darlaston and 150 spaces at Willenhall.

Planning applications are due to be submitted later this year and it is hoped to start work next year with a view to reopening the line to passengers by the end of 2021.

The funding comes a week after a £40m project to open three new train stations in Birmingham secured £15m from the government.

The funding from the Department for Transport progresses plans to get passenger services resumed on the Camp Hill Line calling at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell Stations.