Plans for Dudley town’s new Metro and bus station interchange is moving forward with a £10 million grant having been approved last week.

The West Midlands Combined Authority has approved the grant, which will support the development of an £18 million transport interchange for buses and the proposed Metro line. The grant will finance a significant part of the redevelopment to the town’s bus station and will help people who travel by bus to access the rail network.

It will complement the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension, which is expected to transform Dudley borough and connect Dudley and Brierley Hill town centres to Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the national rail network.

WMCA is planning a total £43million investment in ten congestion-busting projects across the region to support a range of road, rail, tram and cycling projects with money from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund. Councillor Keiran Casey, cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said:

"There are lots of great projects taking place in Dudley at the moment which will make a massive difference to the town centre and good connectivity, and sustainable transport is a key component of these.

"That's why we have been pushing the West Midlands Combined Authority to get these plans drawn up for a new bus and Metro interchange right in the town centre and know they have been working hard to develop these proposals.

"The recently approved funding moves these plans one step closer and we will continue to work closely with them to make these, and other projects we have in the pipeline, a reality as quickly as possible.”