To cogitate over these perplexing matters

Many thanks for your email, Cathy and a very happy new year to you.

I won't come on Thursday but simply wish you to cogitate over this!  It perplexes me, somewhat!:

I do think that the massive amounts of money and weight of GHG spewed out for destroying the region's last mainline railway, "of national strategic significance", must be finished and used.  Now, in its middle section with the trams continuing down to Stourbridge Jct to connect with the national railway network.  In the other direction, NE, with trains to make for the world's first train-tram-train principal mainline railway to Walsall, Lichfield and Derby from Worcester!

In this way, decades old, 23,000 sq m of brownfield housing land, public open space, Nature and my own guerrilla garden are all saved at Merry Hill.

AND THIS:

1. 1950s total obliteration of the W Midlands tram network.
2. 1960s one third obliteration of our railway network began.  100 Kms including 7 Dudley railway lines lost!
3. 1970s demolition of Snow Hill station and immediate rebuilding to half its former size.
4. 1981 saw the start of rebuilding of 200 Kms of tramline, 20 years after their complete removal!
5. 1990s solemn statement from dear Cllr Fred Hunt, Leader of Dudley MBC to me, that WBHE tram would be up and running through Dudley town in 2000!
6. 1999 saw the opening of the first rebuilt tramline but, as a world first (?) on the mainline railway between Snow Hill station that missed out on both the railway and bus stations in Wolverhampton for the last mile.  Not very clever.
7. September 2000 saw the official letter from Tom Magrath, Passenger Services Director, Centro that put in writing what they had been saying for years:

"Light rail investment (trams on the 120 Kms Black Country Railway) provides the basis for restoring heavy rail services at the appropriate time."

In other words, trams on mainline railways are the catalyst to get their trains and stations restored.  Unheard of anywhere else in the world, I believe!

FROM:  https://governance.wmca.org.uk/documents/s8412/Minutes%2012122022%20Investment%20Board.pdf

8.  "The City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement contained an allocation of £71.5m for the very light rail regional programme, containing three elements: 

 Coventry Very Light Rail scheme; 

 Dudley Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre; 

 Mass transit options appraisal study.

It was intended that these three schemes would complement each other."

Here is £71.5 m being used for VLR when nearly 100 Kms of Heavy Rail lines EXIST in the Black Country and Brum but remain without trains and stations!  What weird and wonderful priorities.

 " ... the Director of Transportation & Highways confirmed that the very light rail vehicles would be able to operate on metro tracks should the network ever be extended to Coventry."   Thus, a multi-modal mix up of LR and VLR trams on the one set of standard gauge track leading to more changes and delays in your journey!  Coventry is already included in the 150 miles, 8 lines of Metro to 2040!

Transport AND RETROFITTING for W Mids

Luxury, extravagant expenditure, like more Metro extensions that divert money from the poor and desperate needy and what their priorities are, must be avoided.

"Is there any support from members of your committee for Metro staff to be retrained and redeployed into retrofitting the homes of those owned by the councils and all on state benefits?

"Addressing the climate emergency in sensible, effective ways like above is urgent."

Dear friends

Richard, would you feel able to submit something to Cllr Cathy Bayton, Chair of the WMCA Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as she is offering or suggesting here, today?  It would be really nice for her to hear from you, instead of me and, it could make all the difference!

"If you want to circulate something about the need to increase skills in retrofit to make a more mobile and responsive workforce that is fine but it will need to be written and not verbal."

She also wrote in today's email, "As you know there is no speaking function by members of the public at our CA scrutiny meetings and I think I have explained that this is something I seek to change for the next municipal year."

Therefore, Richard I was mistaken in thinking she might let you speak.  But why don't you ask her, anyway or go along to observe what they say on housing?  There might be a recording on YouTube.

What do the rest of you think about retraining Metro extension employees at 16 Summer Lane to become skilled in retrofitting to save their jobs and to work on something much more worthwhile, climate helpful, constructive and important?

Metro extensions are highly extravagant, a lovely luxury but are entirely unnecessary, unaffordable and an insult to the poor needing help with their food and energy bills.

Transport Scrutiny on 24.11.22

Dear Cathy

I would like to attend, if I may, to read this out in my three minutes, please:

1. What were the conclusions of the Andy Street, 2021 independent inquiry into Metro operations?
2. Now that the Dudley Tram will arrive in Dudley town centre, is this the right time to urge TfWM that the promise of reopening the full 120 Kms Black Country Railway has finally arrived and must be worked on?  Laura Shoaf, Chief Executive of the WMCA has reassured us that "passive provision" for freight and passenger trains to return through the Black Country is being built into the Dudley tram line.
3. In the light of the multiple crises confronting society, is this the right time to abandon further Metro extensions and to concentrate on rebuilding the foundations of public transport - bus and train - and so freeing up the road space for truly essential business users rather than commuters not needing their cars for their work?

EXPLANATION AND BACKGROUND

Since the 1990s, under Centro and the Passenger Transport Authority, the promise of reopening the middle section of our railway "of national strategic significance"

 "of national strategic significance".pdf

has always been dependent on the tramline going on the two nibble sized sections first: "Light rail investment provides the basis for restoring heavy rail services at the appropriate time" (letter from Tom Magrath, Passenger Services Director, Centro, dated 18 September 2000)

 Magrath quote, MM history and costs

Best wishes