New West Midlands mayor, Richard Parker has ordered an “urgent review” into the region’s transport policy after delays and rising costs on multiple schemes are causing pressures on the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) finances.
Parker took over from Andy Street in May in an extremely close race and was responding to a report published by WMCA which blamed the squeeze on finances on excessive inflation, supply chain issues and contractor delays.
Rail projects which could be affected include the first phase of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro Extension which was already over-budget and caused WMCA to stagger the development of the line to manage costs. Also affected is the Camp Hill Line which is likely to be pushed back until autumn 2025 and the two stations currently being built at Darleston and Willenhall. Both stations will be new stops on the Wolverhampton-Walsall line and form part of the West Midlands Rail Programme (WMRP).
The project is £30 million over budget currently and has pushed the original budget of £55 million to nearly £85 million. It is also delayed, with both stations expected to open to passengers in 2026.
It could also see projects that have recently just begun shelved including reopening Aldridge train station which is planned to get underway imminently and due to open in 2027.
Over the last decade, the tram network in the region has been extended from Grand Central in Birmingham City Centre to Centenary Square on the westside of the city as well completing an extension to Edgbaston.
Commenting on the report, Parker said: “Our ambitious plans for transport need to be delivered in the right way which means working with real figures with actual funding, realistic timescales and not making promises which simply cannot be kept.
“The combined authority team have already made some changes to the way they work, but I want to go further and that is why I have instigated an in-depth independent review of all our transport projects to be undertaken in partnership with our local authorities.”
Former mayor, Andy Street defended his record. In a statement he said, ““If the mayor is now taking the decision to scale-back these plans then that is up to him and him alone.
‘There was no end of challenges with transport projects when I was mayor – not least around inflation and construction challenges.
“But every time I sat down with officers and my team and worked through the problems to get schemes back on track. That was certainly the case with the Camp Hill line stations and Dudley Metro extension, which were on track to their revised timetables when I left office.”
The independent review is expected to be published later this year.
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