Places Midland Metro could go....

[TrainFanSam]

Ok i know Centro are planning an extension to the Midland Metro Line in Birmingham and into the Merry Hill Centre but what about the area's forgotten routes it could use..... Perhaps the South Staffordshire line that runs through Pensnett, Wombourne, Himley etc, what if that was relaid and made into a metro line??

THOUGHTS PLEASE!!!!

 

[sprinterguy]

Building the loop around Wolverhampton city centre as originally intended would be a good start.

The original (mid eighties) intention to send the Metro to the Airport is currently being re-assessed, which I think would be a route well suited to Metro operation.

The other serious candidate that I would consider for Metro-isation would be the line from Walsall and Wednesbury to Dudley (street running around the town centre), Merry Hill and Stourbridge. It could take over the Stourbridge town branch after a run round the town centre to a terminus at Stourbridge Junction.

 

[TrainFanSam]

Building the loop around Wolverhampton city centre as originally intended would be a good start.

The original (mid eighties) intention to send the Metro to the Airport is currently being re-assessed, which I think would be a route well suited to Metro operation.

The other serious candidate that I would consider for Metro-isation would be the South Staffordshire line from Walsall and Wednesbury to Dudley (street running around the town centre), Merry Hill and Stourbridge. It could take over the Stourbridge town branch after a run round the town centre to a terminus at Stourbridge Junction.

Ah good thinking. So you reckon they should transform the walsall loop? I thought they were campaigning to re-open that stretch of line to general rail trafic again?

 

[Badger]

The proposed:
Birmingham to Quinton
Birmingham to BHX
Walsall to Wednesbury to Stourbridge
Wolverhampton Loop
Wolverhampton to Wednesfield to Willenhall to Walsall to Wednesbury (5Ws)

The original plans had some 20 odd routes, according to Wikipedia. No idea what they are.

Perhaps the South Staffordshire line that runs through Pensnett, Wombourne, Himley etc,

A popular walking/cycling route, and also too far out from any reasonable places, apart from Wombourne. I think a good alternative would be to essentially replace the 1 (558) bus with a metro line - follows the A459 Wolverhampton to Sedgley, Gornal, Dudley.

Wombourne is out of the centro area and only has a 10,000 population. It doesn't even have proper bus stops. I personally feel it should be annexed into the West Midlands county along with Codsall and Bilbrook. The narrow stretch of "South Staffordshire" is a bit pointless. Now if that happened, then Wombourne could be accessed by a line along the A449, which would serve a few more places rather than just Wombourne and a golf club.

Wolverhampton to Oxley along the A449, with a parkway station at Fox's Lane providing park and ride for the city (free? ) - turning West at The Vine to head towards Pendeford, calling at the i54, serving Pendeford Business Park, Marston Business Park, Brammer, Lupus Park (empty enterprise zone plot), i54, and Wobaston.

I thought they were campaigning to re-open that stretch of line to general rail trafic again?

Heavy freight with tram-trains ("Metro").

Something that hasn't been considered is orbital metros. Perhaps a Wolverhampton, Birmingham, or Coventry outer "ring rail", with radial routes joining it..? I imagine it would make more sense in Birmingham.

I had this musing earlier about an elevated quadding of the Stour Valley line. I think it would take the form of a monorail... All stops Wolverhampton to Birmingham removed, allowing full speed trains along that stretch, no stopping. The elevated train would serve ten or so intermediate stations... Not sure!

 

[gordonthemoron]

running to BHX would (only) make sense if the trams had suitable luggage space, (un)like TPE, Newcastle Metro, Munich S-Bahn

 

[Yew]

monorail...

Everyone likes monorails, however not the paying for them.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Everyone likes monorails, however not the paying for them.

exactly, if you want monorails, go to Alton Towers

 

[Badger]

My impression was that the trains would only go to International as a focal point for a terminus, rather, it's the stations along the way that are important. It would be daft for people to travel by metro when rail takes such a short time - UNLESS they live between Birmingham and Solihull already.

 

[Mojo]

Of course before everyone scoffs about Monorails don't forget there used to be one in the West Midlands. Talk at the time was that it would be extended to Brierley Hill for connection to a reopened passenger railway/Metro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbu74UEKd28 (see related videos for part 2).

 

[Badger]

I've been wondering about Wolverhampton to Dudley and how it could be done, and think I've come across a good solution.

Walsall to Stourbridge Junction via Dudley, heavy rail, mixed freight and passenger with stops at Wednesbury, Dudley Port LL, Dudley Town, Round Oak.

With this, a new Midland Metro line:

Wolverhampton St Georges, The Royal, Priestfield

Then takes the "Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line" to call at:

Bilston West (Black Country Route), Daisy Bank, Princes End & Coseley

Cuts through Oxford Way which is a residential street that was built on the line, after blasting it's way through some works (whoops).

Then stops at Tipton Fiveways, Black Country Museum, working it's way onto Castle Hill and around to the bus station (on roads).

Takes the non-bypass roads to Russels Hall hospital, then down the Pedmore Road to the Gateway where it enters the Waterfront.

From here it takes the lines of the former monorail after interchanging with Round Oak railway station. Calls at Merry Hill (North and South) before taking the Thorns Road, finally ending at an interchange with Lye railway station.

--------

Requires: quite a bit of road operation, along the Pedmore/Thorns road. Street running through Dudley. Demolition of a business park and street running through Oxford Way.

Provides:

1. Heavy rail safeguarded for Dudley and freight
2. Metro stations for Merry Hill, Russels Hall, the Black Country Museum, Princes End and Ettingshall.
3. Interchanges with rail stations (Dudley Town, Round Oak, Lye)

Basically instead of having Metro+Train on the Walsall-Stourbridge route we instead keep that for heavy rail and instate a metro along another former railway line.

 

[WestCoast]

exactly, if you want monorails, go to Alton Towers

Or Wuppertal, which is much better...

 

[Class172]

We had a thread similar to this not too long ago about metro on the south-staffs and the general result was freight and heavy rail, no trams on this line.

How about something along the lines of the Harbourne Branch for metro.

 

[Badger]

We had a thread similar to this not too long ago about metro on the south-staffs and the general result was freight and heavy rail, no trams on this line.

How about something along the lines of the Harbourne Branch for metro.

Aye, my point was to use the bilston west line instead of the south staffs, keeping the south staffs free for heavy rail.

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Places where the metro could go? Nowhere! Give me heavy rail any day!

 

[Badger]

I've tried to put together a (silly) map of what I'd do with it.

Sandwell and Dudley renamed Oldbury to avoid confusion.

Midland Metro from Priestfield to Dudley along the Wolverhampton-Oxford railway (NOT the Walsall-Stourbridge line)

Heavy rail Walsall-Stourbridge line (change line from blue to red, I'm not from Walsall so I don't know the area well.)

Midland Metro from Wolverhampton to Wednesfield, Willenhall, Walsall, Wednesbury (see above point).

I've added in a handful of heavy stations, sorry, forgive me. :roll:

Pendeford (adjacent to Aldersley High School), replaces Bilbrook station
Bilbrook closed
Codsall and Bilbrook (renamed from Codsall)
Dudley Road (Birmingham West)
Monmore Green (interchange, Ettingshall)
Oxley (the Woodbine)
Bushbury North (Wolverhampton Business Park)

I don't know. If nothing else it's a nice wallpaper!