Bill to fix tram stop height could top £350k

It could cost up to £350,000 to alter the height of a road at a tram stop after it was discovered it could bring the West Midlands Metro to a halt.

Once a temporary surface is removed near the new Dudley Castle tram stop, the tracks will be at the wrong level for the road surface.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) discovered the mix up last year and Dudley Council has approved spending of up to £100,000 towards fixing the issue at the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre.

However, the worst-case estimate to fix the issue is £350,000, said the council.

A spokesperson for TfWM said the issues did "not reflect any errors in the installation of the track" by contractors at Midland Metro Alliance.

A council document authorising spending of £100,000 said work had been undertaken to understand how the problem occurred, why it had only recently been identified and what work would be needed to rectify it.

It said: "The findings are largely inconclusive with no one party able to identify a single set of drawings with sufficient detail and approvals of the drawings and works delivered by all parties."

Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of the council, said the authority was working on the best solution.

He said: "Part of this work has been exploring routes to secure funding for any required changes.

"We are looking at the possibility of using grant funding to cover the work required or utilising project efficiencies to make a contribution towards the works from existing budgets.

"We are also reviewing the construction drawings to understand how the issue has arisen."

To resolve the situation, TfWM said funding would be allocated from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.

"This package of funds is allocated for region-wide public transport projects and is part of a broader package of improvements in Dudley related to the bus interchange, Metro network and delivery of cycle and public realm improvements to ensure that investment in Dudley Town Centre is maximised to business and growth," a spokesperson said.

This news has been gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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