UK: Invitations to tender for the construction of stations at Darlaston and Willenhall on the freight-only Walsall to Wolverhampton line have been issued, after planning permission was granted by Walsall Council.
Opening is planned for 2023, with the two stations to be served by an hourly service between Walsall and Wolverhampton and an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton
Willenhall station will be sited next to the Bilston Street railway bridge close to the town centre, while Darlaston station and a 300-space car park will be built on derelict land next to the Kendricks Road bridge.
The project is being led by Transport for West Midlands and the West Midlands Rail Executive, in collaboration with the Department for Transport, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway, Walsall Council and City of Wolverhampton Council.
‘Restoring passenger services to the Walsall to Wolverhampton railway line is a critical part of our transport strategy for the West Midlands, and we have taken another step towards achieving that vision by securing planning approval for these new stations’, said Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street on October 16. ’We are now looking to get work underway as soon as possible, and our search for a construction contractor has already begun.
‘People have been waiting a long time to see services restored, and these better connections will be a catalyst for regeneration in this part of the Black Country. As well as unlocking land for industrial and housing development and improving transport links across the region, the construction of the two stations will provide work for local people at this difficult time.’
