Questions for Dudley and Sandwell leaders

Questions for Patrick Harley, CEO Kevin O’Keefe and Sandwell's leader and CEO David Stevens

Are you wanting to save the Castle Gate railway station site to leave your options open for the return of commuter and intercity trains to Dudley from London, Bristol and the North?

Are you happy to be the only Black Country borough (and the largest town in the UK) without a railway station and direct links to north, south, east and west via your very own Dudley line?

Do you realise you could still have Metro trams via Dudley from Wednesbury but, have the extension from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill on roads (not on our mainline railway) as happens on the mainland of Europe?

Since the authorities want heavy rail trains back on this heavy rail line by first having investment in LRRT, “as the basis for restoring heavy rail services at the appropriate time” (letter from Tom Magrath, Passenger Services Director dated September 2000), why do you not want heavy rail straight off and missing out the “bus on rails” trams having to be done first?

Why are you still, after 50 years, continuing to destroy train lines and refusing to make use of them fully to help, if only yourself, to get around more easily?

Once the trams are in place and the people have got used to them, how on earth can you then, 10, 20, or 30 years later, close them, dismantle the operations and then put the passenger and freight trains back?  It will never happen.

Even if you replace trams with tram trains, you must recognise that they are still trams and must still stop at every tram stop, on average every 650 metres, that the ordinary trams stopped at.

Do you understand that in putting buildings on the only practical and possible site for Dudley Castle Gate/Hill railway station - one of the most important stations on the 120 Km line - you are stopping the line, once reopened, to be fully effective and giving the tocs the most profits.  You are penalising the people of Dudley who will be unable to use their own line.

When you have a rare opportunity to help yourself get to and from work more easily on less congested roads and less crowded trains, why do you not take it?

Tim Weller   26 February 2020