Metro link vital to success of £120m Wolverhampton Interchange

A KEY public transport scheme in Wolverhampton will be vital to the success of a £120m city centre regeneration scheme.

Wolverhampton City Council said an extension to the Midland Metro would be vital if the potential of the Interchange scheme was to be realised.
 
Preparatory works on the extension are expected to start later this year. The extension will ultimately see the trams connect with the existing Metro service from Birmingham with the soon-to-be redeveloped railway station via Pipers Row and Railway Drive.
 
New tram stops are proposed at the railway station, and either side of Pipers Row, near Castle Street, directly outside the bus station.
 
The council will be working closely with public transport authority Centro to keep traffic disruption to a minimum.

However, the council has urged people using the city centre to be patient while the project is completed.
 
Cllr Peter Bilson, deputy leader and cabinet member for City Assets, said: “The whole Interchange project is passenger-driven. We want a city centre that works for everyone.
 
“The locations of the two new tram stops outside the bus and railway stations are vital in offering a full and complete Interchange between modes of transport.
 
“We also want to make the most of our connection to Birmingham and ultimately links to HS2 to help Wolverhampton shops and businesses thrive.”
 
He said close proximity to good transport links was vitally important to the business community. This had been a major selling point in us attracting office tenants to the recently-completed i10 building, he added.
 
“Wolverhampton is a vital sub-regional transport hub and the Metro extension will help make us more competitive when it comes to selling the city to investors,” said Cllr Bilson.
 
Phil Hewitt, Metro Programme Director for Centro, added: “The extension will give people a direct link to Wolverhampton’s main railway station from the Midland Metro.
 
“It will bring significant transport improvements and is a key element in the wider £120m Wolverhampton Interchange project that will help regenerate the heart of the city centre and the wider Black Country.”