West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says Darlaston residents can look forward to their new station being finished soon, as work progresses at pace on the site.
And Andy says the station represents just part of a ‘transport revolution’ that is improving how people get around the region, from new trains to a bus charter promising minimum services to passengers.
The new railway station is now taking shape after Kier, a leading UK infrastructure group, took over the construction.
Andy said: “It is so exciting to see real progress being made at the site of Darlaston’s new station, which will have a transformational impact here – offering residents a fast passenger service to Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham when it opens.
“Creating a world-class public transport system is an important part of my plan to achieve net zero by 2041, but projects like these stations will also make a huge difference for the communities they serve.
“It means businesses will be able to relocate along the line, bringing even more opportunities for local people. When we have the station open, along with car parks and transport links, I think they will become hubs for growth.
“What’s more, by getting people out of their cars and onto good quality public transport we are tackling both congestion and the climate change emergency at the same time,” he said.
The new station will give Darlaston people direct access to the rail network for the first time since the 1960s, offering two trains per hour, an hourly service between Walsall and Wolverhampton and an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
Darlaston’s original station opened in 1837 but was closed in 1965, under the nation-wide ‘Beeching’ cuts. Passenger services returned in 1998 but stopped again a decade later due to lack of use.
The new station now being built will have two platforms, big enough to accommodate six-carriage trains, as well a pedestrian footbridge, stairs, lifts, ticket machines and drop-off areas. There will also be a 300-space car park at Darlaston. It is just part of the millions of pounds in investment going into the area.
Darlaston has been identified as one of 55 most overlooked towns in the country and has been awarded £20million government investment to be spent over the course of a decade.
The West Midlands Combined Authority, led by Andy, also invested £6.5m into cleaning up an old Brownfield site in Darlaston Road, where the new Parallel 113 logistics hub has now been built. The development, which is expected to create up to 200 jobs, is set to welcome its first tenants in the coming weeks.