OUR 120 Kms COMIC RAILWAY - for trams, trees and cycles or, a joke?

"Reopen the Railways" July 2020 issue, 'RailPro', - but for what?

"Reopening closed railways", p 45 - 'Sustainability'

It has only taken the professionals to come into their sixth decade of destroying our railway lines, to finally come to their senses and to think about trains or trams or tram-trains or train-trams to go on our remaining railway lines that have survived their imposition of houses, hotels, shops, offices and roads that they have put on most of the closed railways.

In the W Midlands, our experts and politicians had used the 1950s to completely dismantle our tram network.  That success led, in the 60s, to them closing and dismantling the railway network, even in urban areas.  The 70s saw more closures and the end for about 100 Kms of railway lines.  However, the 80s saw the authorities regret their earlier decision.  They decided that getting the trams back, after all, would be a very good idea, especially on the railway lines they had closed.  1981 was the beginning of the Midland Metro tram project that was supposed to see 15 tram lines and 200 Kms of trams trundling back - by the year 2000.

However, that year saw precisely 21 Kms achieved.  And all on a disused railway line, too except, for two out of 21 Kms that took over the main road and more traffic lights for more hold-ups for trams and vehicles.  It meant more railway lines lost either side of Wolverhampton Low Level station and no chance of it ever being brought back into use for its original purpose.

In the 1990s, the leader of Dudley Council told me, in person, that our Dudley tram line, going on an even more important railway line than Metro One, would be up and running by the year 2000.  It was not.  However, twenty years later, this very year, did see the start of preparatory work on the Dudley tramline to finish 6 Kms out of 56 Kms unused, slap bang in the middle of the 120 Kms railway "of national strategic significance" between Worcester, Dudley and Derby.  What stunning progress!  Main works on the piddling little shuttle tram line to the West Coast Mainline begins next year, 2021.  In April, to be precise.  At this rate, by the end of the century, all 120 Kms or 74 miles will be finished with something or other.  They might even be trains, trams, tram-trains or train-trams.  Or, the kitchen sink.

The nationally important, half-finished, 120 Kms Black Country Comic Railway - or, is it for trams, trees and cycles - or a joke?

Yours sincerely