Never winter and always Christmas!

There has been no public consultation, as yet, on the VLR proposals for the Black Country passenger line.

FOR EASE OF READING, THEY ARE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, dated 30 January 2015.  Nick is Nick Mallinson of WMG who wants his VLR project in Dudley.  My suggestion gives all of you all you want - Christmas every day!:

Dear Nick

Could your ultra light rail project and the Innovation Centre go on the cleared site of the former Brierley Hill Steel Terminal at Moor St, Brierley Hill DY5 3AG?  It could then be tested and developed using the 3 Km line from there to north of Pensnett High Street to terminate at Tansey Green Road or Stallings Lane (B4175).  This is Shut End on my A-Z.  Earlier this month, I walked the length of the old line and nothing has been built on it.  One new bridge over the canal would have to be built.

Once perfected, the tram train would be ideal for road running to Merry Hill Shopping Centre and, a second line to Stourbridge Town interchange.  Intu, the current owners of Merry Hill might provide funds, as Nigel Hugil, MD of Chelsfield was prepared to do in the 1990s for Metro going to his shopping centre.  If I remember correctly, he was offering £25 million!

Best wishes

From Nick Mallinson:

Hi Tim,

Thank you for your email and your suggestion of an alternative site for the Innovation Centre and test track.

I am not familiar with the site and track formation so I cannot say whether or not it would be a suitable alternative.  In practical terms WMG is in the hands of our partner, Dudley Council, with regard to the siting of the centre in the Borough.   I note that Martyn Holloway has replied to you and explained that the present proposal delivers benefits other than VLR research capability and jobs to the Borough – the Castle Hill to Dudley Port rail link will reconnect Dudley to the line into Birmingham and provide a channel for many tourists to reach Dudley and visit the Zoo and Black Country Living Museum.

It is the sum of the benefits that has made this proposal so compelling to the Black Country and other public bodies including Future railway. DfT and Centro.

Kind regards,

Nick

From Martyn Holloway (Roy is Roy Burgess, who first told me of the Black Country Rail Line 20 years ago):

Tim/Roy,

The line to Pensnett is still protected from a planning perspective and so could be available for the test facility as you suggest. 

The old Moor Street freight liner site is well placed for ultimately serving Stourbridge and Waterfront but there are operational issues with the live freight line that still need to be considered.  Primarily this is over the mixing of heavy and light rail systems but that applies to any proposals on live (track) line.

However, what your proposal does not do is address our current objective to build on investment in Dudley town centre and Castle Hill by reconnecting it to the national rail network.  This is integral with the proposals for the VLR centre.

As Roy will attest, I am always open to constructive proposals but in this case it doesn’t deliver the objectives for Dudley

Cheers

Martyn Holloway

Head of Traffic & Transportation

Directorate of Environment Economy and Housing

Telephone 01384 815426

Many thanks, Nick for the e-mail.

Below is my reply to Martyn's e-mail that I will paste, here:-

Thanks, Martyn for your e-mail, that was good to receive.  It was kind of you to reply promptly.

What WOULD "address our current objective to build on investment in Dudley town centre and Castle Hill by reconnecting it to the national rail network" is to have the national rail network come to Dudley Castle Hill.  This can be done, much more quickly, by returning diesel trains from Oxford, Worcester and beyond to the heart of three Black Country boroughs and then going on to Crewe and the NW in one direction and, Derby and the NE in the other.

In this way, investment would come to Dudley and to the to the somewhat rundown but still attractive Waterfront area of Brierley Hill, that would get a new lease of life.  In fact, why not have the pleasant Waterfront as the new administrative centre for Dudley MBC that would then be, directly, on the national rail network?  And, without waiting the many years for the ultra light rail tram train to be developed and tested before, finally running up and down Castle Hill in public service?

In this way, you would be returning passenger trains to the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway Company line that saw passenger steam trains for about 100 years until the 1960s when the line was closed.  For 50 years, no passenger trains have been seen on the 13 miles of double track line from Stourbridge Jct, Castle Hill Dudley, Wednesbury and on to Walsall.  Your proposal continues the tragedy of your good self missing out on the sheer wonder of seeing the delights of Dudley from the window of a commuter or inter-city train as it powers to and past our Castle, Zoo, Canal Trust and Museum.  My proposal puts a stop to this disappointment of yours!

Seriously, Martyn (and Roy) don't you think this makes Dudley a double winner?  The 13 miles Black Country Line is a huge asset for regeneration, employment and economic growth.  Perhaps, more choice for some car commuters to leave their motors behind and use the train, too.

It would still leave 32 miles of freight lines in Brum and the Black Country with no stations or passengers - let alone the trains.

With every good wish

The tram train on the Black Country Rail Line

Here are my points for being apprehensive over ultra light rail going on the Black Country Line:

1. It gives you all an excuse for further delay to get down to increasing rail capacity, especially when it is so important to take the pressure off New Street Station.
2. Once ultra light rail is in place, it will be very difficult not to extend it in bite sized chunks, as was the intention with Metro.  The bite sized chunks business never materialised for Metro, so that is a bad omen for very light rail.
3. Once ultra light rail is in place, it will be difficult to then rip it up and replace it with heavy rail.  Better to put back the everyday, well tried and tested, heavy rail trains, with stations.
4. Heavy rail can be put back quicker than an innovative tram train that still needs much development.
5. Nick Mallinson confirmed that what his WMG is developing is unheard of on the mainland of Europe that is generally considered to have an excellent rail service from Spain and Italy to Scandanavia.
6. Ultra light rail would be ideal for urban areas that have no heavy rail tracks already in place.  Best to use existing heavy rail tracks for heavy rail trains.
7. Nick wants one track as a test track and the other one for a shuttle service for the tram train.  From John Parry's experience in taking very many years to put his already tried and tested PPM on the Stourbridge branch line, it is bound to take a similar number of years to get permission for the tram train to be able to be safe for a public service.
8. John Parry had his own circular test track for many years at his business address in Cradley.  Should Nick not be using that?
9. In other words, it will take years for the tram train to be safe and sufficiently reliable for a public paying shuttle service between Castle Hill and Dudley Port.
10. There are two possible better locations for an innovative vehicle to be tried and tested.  One might be the open space that once took the Dudley to Wolverhampton rail line before it was built on, further on.  There is space there for them to test the tram train between Station Drive and on to the rear of the Black Country Museum and directly to the Dudley Canal Trust.  The other might be the old line, branching off the Black Country Line, from Silver End in Brierley Hill, through Brockmoor to Pensnett.