Yesterday's announcement of government funding for a further mile of Metro between Birmingham's Snow Hill and New Street stations is, on the face of it, good news.

Yet it may prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro link.

Government funding for such major schemes requires the production of a business plan and a strict value for money appraisal. This looks at such matters as the private sector contribution to the scheme as well as the number of potential users.

Even when linking the Brierley Hill extension to Snow Street the passenger numbers struggled to stack up. By taking away the most frequented part of the route and treating its as an separate scheme will make it well nigh impossible to make the local proposal to meet criteria for funding.

The news is great for transforming Birmingham. It dramatically weakens the case for regeneration of transport in the wider region.

Black Country council leaders really need to take another look at the remaining scheme. They need independent and hard nosed advice from parties without a vested interest. There must be a realistic appraisal of whether there will be any likelihood of the extension taking place. If not, then it is time to move on and find new solutions for the area's problems. We can't afford another twenty years of waiting around for a scheme that might never happen.