Dear Sandeep,
It was great to see your letter written to Cllr Angus Lees that has been shown to me. However, I do want to reply to give you a different point of view that I do hope you will consider.
Thank you for getting in touch following the Future Council Scrutiny Meeting on 16th March and the representations made in relation to the Embankment tram stop on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Extension.
It is not just about the Merry Hill tram stop but about the full 400 metre long, climate busting, greenhouse gas spewing, concrete and steel, double-track, standard gauge, tram viaduct. Plus the two bridges over Dudley's premier No 1 Canal and the mighty flyover on top of the roundabout at Level Street. I think with high inflation and still fast-rising energy prices, all this will cost £100 million when completed. £100 m when people are suffering quickly rising prices for everything and the most impoverished must be given more financial help and NOT a Metro tram, as one former LibDem Dudley councillor wants, in order to relieve poverty (email to me last week)!
As you will be aware, this project remains a key priority for significantly improving connectivity to Dudley and the wider Black Country. So why is it taking your TfWM 40 years to deliver this so good intention that has never come about? If you really wanted Dudley to have improved connectivity, both the council and TfWM would have built the 1990s Merry Hill monorail so that it actually linked with the Black Country Railway "of national strategic significance" at the Waterfront.
And, AT THAT TIME, finished it by reinstating the trains and stations on our middle section without them, between Worcester and Derby. There has been significant public engagement throughout the design and approvals process, in conjunction with Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. There was forty years of hither and thither, of public inquiries with the public not at all engaged or interested. As part of this, a number of options were examined and assessed in terms of costs and benefits. Really? But never for freight or for commuter and regional trains to finish a ready-built, principal, mainline railway instead of light rail, "bus on rails" trams. AND, on a line that previously had national trains for 100 years!! We are now at a stage where the detailed design has been completed and enabling works are already taking place along sections of the route. Yes, but nowhere near Merry Hill where there has only ever been investigative, ground survey work, as is being done today. The nearest enabling works to Merry Hill are in Flood Street, 3.5 Kms from Level Street. There are many millions being spent on strengthening Parkhead Viaduct, Netherton, I know that is nearer to Level Street. That work is needed, although Parkhead is the same age as Stambermill Viaduct which sees freight trains most days. Should Stambermill be undergoing the same strengthening work? Whilst appreciating the concerns raised, the provision of a significant elevated structure in this location does present a number of challenges given the topography. This includes further structures (more high cost/GHG emissions) to access the elevated stop making it less accessible and the negative environmental impact due to the visual intrusion. But the Canal and River Trust (CRT) is not at all bothered about the "negative environmental impact due to the visual intrusion". The CRT is also responsible for this financial and transport scandal because the Trust is in full agreement with this foolish plan. The provision of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Extension will bring environmental benefits through the provision of a zero emissions at source transport offer what about offering us zero emission at source electric buses at one-tenth of the cost of one "bus on rails" tram, as the national tram promotion group at Transport HQ has called it? This was on 9th November 2016 when a Croydon tram crashed, killing seven passengers and injuring 61, 19 seriously. that will encourage car trips off the road network by providing significantly enhanced connectivity to a number of Local and Town Centres along the route. But modal shift has not been seen since the opening in 1999 of Metro One on another mainline railway between Snow Hill and St Georges Sq in Wolverhampton. Over the last fifty years, your colleagues, Sandeep, have destroyed about 100 Kms of our regional railway lines by thinking that everything but the kitchen sink should be run on them. Seven of Dudley's railway lines have now been wiped off the face of the map with the seventh (the most important and, supposedly safeguarded, national railway) being turned into the BCIMO HQ and test track where Dudley railway station stood for about 100 years. And, in the Black Country and Brum, there are still 106 Kms with some freight trains but no commuter/regional trains! We will also be working with our colleagues within the WMCA to bring forward any opportunities to enhance the natural capital as part of the delivery of the scheme. My own landscape enhancement scheme gets smothered, indeed obliterated along with the natural capital that is the canal embankment of trees, shrubs and wildlife. Called Nature. Of which we humans are part. So we obliterate ourselves. Not very clever!
SUMMARY
I am asking for all party, urgent action to stop this ecocidal and immoral expenditure. PLEASE, KEEP THE TRAM RUNNING DOWN THE MAINLINE RAILWAY to Stourbridge Junction. The goods trains to Tata Steel only use one track. Use the other for Metro between Canal Street tram stop and Stourbridge Jct station. Put in tram stops at Waterfront (electric buses into Merry Hill), Brierley Hill and Withymoor.
Best wishes
Tim
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