West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says he still hopes to see the railway line that runs through Sutton Park reopened to passengers, after the Government announced funding to fast track the building of a new station in Aldridge.
The line, which once included stations at Streetly, Walmley and in the town centre, closed to passengers in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts, and has been used for freight ever since.
However, Mr Street, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority, has ambitions to reopen the line as part of his plan to build a world-class transport network for the region.
He said: “My 20-year plan to create a transport network for the West Midlands is making real progress, including long-closed passenger lines being reopened in the south of Birmingham serving communities like Moseley, and in the Black Country, with new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston.
“The Government’s recent commitment to fund a new station at Aldridge recognises that we deliver on our plans to reopen old lines here. Now I want the Sutton Park line to be one of the next big projects to be considered.”
The ambitious plans would connect stations at Streetly, the Town centre and Walmley via the track through the park to more new stations at Castle Bromwich and the Fort in Erdington, before heading into Birmingham, creating a third cross-city line.
Mr Street added: “It’s a big challenge, with a big price tag, but we have already taken the first significant step with the news about Aldridge, which is also on the line.”
Historically, the line also featured a railway station inside Sutton Park, which was popular with day trippers and was used by thousands of World War One soldiers who trained at a camp in the beauty spot before heading for the front.