West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says £150,000 of government funding provides one of the ‘final pieces in the jigsaw’ needed to get Aldridge’s new railway station built.
The funding, from the Department for Transport’s Restoring Our Railway programme, will help cover the cost of developing a business case, including the case for electrification of the line to deliver a brand new rail service between Walsall and Aldridge.
Mr Street, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “It is brilliant news that we have secured this vital funding from the Restoring Your Railway programme so we can move forward with my plan for Aldridge Station.
“This money really is one of the final pieces in the jigsaw and will allow us to get this station built, providing the people of Aldridge with a faster and greener alternative to the car for their journeys to Walsall and Birmingham.
“A key part of my mayoral mission is reversing the Beeching cuts of the last century and getting much-needed new railway stations open.
“Not only will the new stations provide a real public transport alternative to the car, but it will connect local people to the high-quality jobs and opportunities being created across the wider region and encourage businesses to come to Aldridge too.”
Cllr Adrian Andrew, deputy leader of Walsall Council, said: “This funding is great news. The new stations at Aldridge and at Darlaston will open up new opportunities for residents. Improving the rail infrastructure in Walsall is a boost for leisure and employment and makes the borough an increasingly attractive place for developers to invest.”
Transport chiefs want to open a station at Aldridge, which would cater for 500,000 passengers a year with two trains an hour running to Walsall and Birmingham New Street.
Last year they secured £400,000 to purchase a site for the station in Aldridge, with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) agreeing to buy NHS-owned land next to the Anchor Meadow Health Centre off Westfield Drive.
Mr Street has worked with Aldridge-Brownhills MP Wendy Morton on the proposals.
The original Aldridge Station was opening by the Midland Railway in 1879. In 1923 it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway before passing to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.