Stourbridge Branch Line

[BusFan94]

This was hard for me but I chose 153 as I remembered when train spotting at Stourbridge Junction seeing them for the first time they look like Fiat Multiples. whereas the 153 has character the 139 doesn't well apart from the Duck horn which cracks up every time I hear it, I like both of them but prefer the 153.

[Other Walsall Tony]

Being a four wheeled vehicle running on jointed track does not improve comfort either.

[mark114]

I visited this line this week even with the class 153 or the ppm the state of the track is nothing short of shocking

[the trainbasher]

Would it be worth one day extending it to the Lower High Street and converting it to a tram line with passing loops?

Similar to the metro but on a smaller scale

[karl724223]

Would it be worth one day extending it to the Lower High Street and converting it to a tram line with passing loops?

Similar to the metro but on a smaller scale

doubt it now a new bus station has been built also the different levels in the hight from lower high st to current track leval and the race track known as the ring road

[Kevin]

If the Metro is ever finally built to Brierley Hill then it'd make sense to extend it further along that line to Stourbridge Junction and take over the Town branch

[karl724223]

If the Metro is ever finally built to Brierley Hill then it'd make sense to extend it further along that line to Stourbridge Junction and take over the Town branch

ages ago there was talk about sending it down to Stourbridge with an option of sending onto kiddiminster depending on there council and government funding

[mark114]

I agree with the comments regarding extending the metro to Brierley Hill but having said that midland metro did say that line number 2 would be Wednesbury to merry hill via Dudley back in 1999 when line 1 was bulit and now what 18 years later we are still waiting i would also like to see extend to Stourbridge but i really cannot see that happening so only the next few years will tell if Brierley hill or merry hill will ever be reached

[Roy]

The current situation is as follows.

The Metro from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill should open in 2023.  A Planning Application to build the Midland Metro through Dudley has been submitted to Dudley Council in the past week or so.  Key in Planning Application Number P17/1451 at
https://www5.dudley.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/run/Wphappcriteria.display

Abellio have said that, in the new franchise, they want to extend the half-hourly Stourbridge Junction terminators to Brierley Hill via a reversal at Stourbridge Junction from December 2019, with the services extended to an interchange station at Canal Street (Harts Hill) in 2023 to connect with the Metro.  They haven't publically revealed where they propose to build Brierley Hill station though.

If these both go ahead, then the Metro will not be extended to Stourbridge using the old railway alignment from Moor Street as the trackbed between Stourbridge Junction and Round Oak will be shared by heavy freight on one track and heavy rail passenger services on the other.  There will be one free track between Round Oak and Wednesbury which could possibly be used for heavy rail passenger or, more likely, tram-train in the future (probably after 2030).

One other point about the Town branch.  As part of the new franchise agreement, West Midlands Rail and West Midlands Trains (i.e. Abellio) will undertake a review of the Town branch vehicles by March 2021 at the latest, looking at the condition of the town cars and capacity issues to determine whether replacement vehicles will be required before they become life expired in about 2026.

[mark114]

Thank you so much Roy regarding previous comments so 2023 should be open well sadly that is still 6 years away when i have said midland metro did say that line 2 would be from Wednesbury to Merry hill via dudley back in 1999 regarding i believe what you have said regarding Brierley hill if the metro would go thu there where would they route it as the only other line into Brierley hill at present is only a freight only line in and out of round oak unless like you say a possible share of tracks with a possible new track using heavy rail but only the coming years will tell at the moment it's all on paper only track clearence as taken place around Dudley so in a way a good thing