What Wolverhampton is missing most, other than a station with 6 through platforms with 1 bay north, and two south bays - is a 4 track exit along the Stour Valley.
Two tracks on the right form the UP/DOWN Stour Valley. Two tracks on left, UP/DOWN Didcot & Chester (D&C). The new lines placed either side of existing Stour Valley where one becomes new DOWN SV, the other the new UP D&C.
The 4 track formation crosses over Lower Walsall Street - then follows along side the Steel Terminal, on a viaduct, to store steel rolls underneath, where the D&C lines curve away from the Stour Valley still on a viaduct - over the throat of Wolverhampton Steel terminal on an "S" bend - to reach the original formation of the D&C, to then drop 1 in 55 - under Bilston Road - over a new junction to allow Steel traffic access to the D&C then through the following stations: Priestfield, Bilston Central, Loxdale, Wednesbury Parkway, Dudley Street - Guns Village, West Bromwich Central, The Hawthorns, Soho & Winson Green, Jewellery Quarter to reach Birmingham Snow Hill and beyond.
Wednesbury Parkway becomes a major stopping point as an interchange. For London Midland/First GW/East Midland services from Derby-Lichfield-Walsall to Dudley-Brierley Hill-Stourbridge-Worcester-Oxford.
Even London Paddington FGW services could reach Wolverhampton via Worcester, Stourbridge and Dudley then via a chord from the South Staffs line (Dudley->Walsall) through the current Metro tram shed at Wednesbury, to meet the D&C and on towards Wolverhampton. This spur could also provide Wolverhampton with local services to Dudley, Brierley Hill and Stourbridge. Even a direct a service between Shrewsbury and Worcester.
Meaning Wulfrunians can get to Stourbridge on the train in 35 mins. Thats 20 mins quicker than at present on the 256 bus. Battery Buses waiting on each arrival to take passengers from Dudley Station around town centre. And from Brierley Hill around Merry Hill complex. No need to dig up the streets for overpriced trams with complex duel voltage systems to work on AC heavy rail and DC streets. The electric bus can be re-routed to match where markets demand far cheaper and lower running costs than a tram. After all why dont the trams take you through Wednesbury or West Bromwich high streets where you need them? C.o.s.t. Just look at the passenger patterns and you can see this far more suited as a rail line - not rapid transit. SIX miles average journey length. On new trams that will seat fewer people but have more standing room only. BONKERS.
With this rail corridor in place:
Will enable rail freight traffic access to the brown field sites that lie along this corridor - ensuring they have maximum potential for high skilled industry to develop and not be turned into another useless low pay low skill Retail/Supermarket complex. That only Metro can provide.
Ensures Salop has direct connections to London Marylebone via Chiltern Railways. Wolverhampton then has competition with Virgin West Coast - from the same station. In 1983 Euston could be reached from Wolverhampton in 1h 55m. Today it is 1h 49m, 6 mins less in 30 years and now many millions of pounds spent?
New direct local services to Dorridge/Stratford opening up new transport corridors. As per the requirements of the Local Transport Plan Mk 3.
Ensures Salop, Wolverhampton and The Black Country has a direct fast rail service to Moor Street Station, the interchange for HS2 services - not to the north or London - but more importantly to the Continent - Brussels, Paris, Berlin etc. As the cost of aviation fuel will soon make high-speed rail far more attractive, in price, let alone convenience.
But this dream can't be realised because in reality we are living in a nightmare. A nightmare that is Midland Metro. And we are still wasting money on this transport cancer.
A cancer, that is starving resources to the host organism - and thus destroying it, because it hinders transport development, not only locally here in the WM but nationally too, by occupying a vital national strategic rail route, as well as sapping on precious local resources that would be better spent elsewhere on NWM.
Bury was at the end of a double track siding. Ripe for LRT. Metro Line One is an important strategic rail route not just to the WM but also to the UK too.
hock: