THE first pieces of track for the long-awaited Metro extension in Dudley have been delivered.

A total of 300 metres of rail have arrived at the Castle Hill site in Dudley town centre ready for installation to commence in the coming weeks.

The delivery marks a significant step forward for the light rail and follows months of work, and two evenings of localised overnight road closures, to prepare the site for this next phase of construction.

West Midlands mayor, Andy Street said it is an exciting moment for the Black Country extension.

“This is such an eagerly-anticipated route, not least because it will better connect Dudley with more of Sandwell, Wolverhampton, and the east and west of Birmingham by tram,” said Mr Street.

“Not only that, but it will also provide a direct route for many across the Black Country to travel directly to the new Curzon Street station for HS2, providing links to the rest of the UK.

“This Metro extension truly is a game-changer for Dudley and the Black Country, and we’re pressing on and making it happen.”

Preparatory work on the project got underway along Castle Hill in 2020 and since then the team at the Midland Metro Alliance (MMA), which is designing and delivering the route on behalf of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), have removed the road surface and upgraded and diverted utilities in the area.

Councillor Simon Phipps, Dudley Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said the laying of the first few metres of track is a “huge symbol of progress” in the scheme.

“We have almost £1 billion worth of regeneration projects coming to fruition in the next few years which will change the face of the borough forever, and the new Metro route will play an integral part in this,” said Cllr Phipps.

“It will help to create more opportunities for people in terms of jobs, training and connectivity and I look forward to seeing it take shape in the coming weeks and months.”

In more recent weeks, one half of Castle Hill has been prepared for rail installation and future work will see concrete track beds poured ahead of rails being installed and welded in place.