Dudley interchange completes the picture

Dudley’s transformation from a public transport backwater to state of the art will soon be complete with the go-ahead for a £24 million station interchange for trams and buses.

Full planning permission was granted to Transport for West Midlands in mid-September for the new complex, which still requires the securing of a few pieces of land, finalising detailed designs and appointing a construction contractor.

The existing 1986 bus station, the oldest in the West Midlands, will be demolished, and it is hoped that the new two-storey building with comfortable waiting areas will be ready in time for the opening of the first phase of West Midlands Metro’s extension from

Wednesbury in 2024. The second phase will see the route go to Brierley Hill, including a stop at the Merry Hill shopping centre.

Also under development is a new cross-city bus service from Dudley Interchange to Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Dudley has recently become the home of the Institute of Technology and the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre.