Willenhall Railway Station setback after funding bid rejected
Ambitious plans for a new railway station have taken a blow after a funding bid was rejected.
Walsall Council submitted a bid to the Department for Transport back in December last year for funding to build a new station in Willenhall.
If accepted the station would have been built in the centre of Willenhall and included a small car park and ticketing office.
The council, which is working with Transport for West Midlands on the plans, is now looking at alternative funding and bidding opportunities to get the station up and running.
Councillor Sean Coughlan, the leader of the council, said: “We are extremely disappointed that the Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail will not be supporting the delivery of our much needed station at Willenhall.
"As a council, additional train services and stations are something we have wanted in Walsall for a long time, especially in the Walsall-Wolverhampton growth corridor.
"I have personally led our recent campaign to re-open the Walsall-Wolverhampton line with new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston.
"We will continue to look at alternative funds and bidding opportunities to secure better links between our towns in the Black Country.
"I sincerely hope that when the new West Midlands rail franchise is let, there are plans to re-open this line and bring forward new stations as soon as possible.
"We await Government's announcement."
