A PUBLIC meeting in Halesowen has discussed the effect of plans to replace some of the region’s railway with metro lines.

More than 20 people gathered at Hasbury Christian Fellowship in Albert Road to discuss the issues which have been brought on by the announcement of £250million investment into the metro across the Black Country.

The metro extension, which has been supported by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, will run through Dudley to the DY5 Enterprise Zone at The Waterfront at Brierley Hill.

Campaigner Tim Weller – who ran as an independent candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis in this year’s general election – is calling for trains to be put back on the unused tracks rather than the metro.

Mr Weller said: “Finishing the full length of 56kms [of unused Black Country Railway lines] for diesel passenger trains is half the price of the trams on only 11kms. It’s so little because all the major infrastructure has been built and 26kms is used for freight trains only.

“Our metro extension stops the Black Country Railway from ever being completed for freight, regional and national trains.

“Andy Street and the local transport bosses only want the “bus on rails” trams through Dudley town centre and on Dudley's mainline railway, to get the much more useful regional and national trains back.

“Trams to get trains is paying twice over.

“Even when the trams are running on only 6.7kms out of the wasted, unused 56kms, that still leaves a wasted 49.3kms of our 120kms main line railway between Worcester, the Black Country and Derby, alongside or near to traffic choked motorways and roads.”

During the meeting, it was said the success of the Manchester Metrolink trams proves that trams on roads and railway lines do work.

However, Mr Weller argues that the trams are at the expense of the rest of the railway network that is not modernised and electrified.

The seven-mile Wednesbury to Brierley Hill metro extension will include 17 stops – deviating to take in Dudley town centre, Merry Hill and the terminus at Brierley Hill.

Mr Street, West Midlands Mayor, said: “The importance of this extension is difficult to understate. It will open up sites for housing and regeneration and reconnect Dudley and Brierley Hill to the rail network for the first time in decades.”

A recent edition of the News said trams would be as expensive as trains, however Mr Weller states the metro would be at least five times dearer than putting diesel trains back on the full 120km stretch of main line track.