?1m set aside to develop plans for new railway stations including one in the Black Country

A new station in Wolverhampton would be situated between Tettenhall, Claregate and Pendeford, on the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury line.

It has been in the planning stages since 2019.

The other new railway stations would be at Castle Bromwich and Coventry East.

The three locations have been shortlisted by the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) following a feasibility study which concluded that a new station could provide much needed improvement to public transport for these communities.

Castle Bromwich is on the line between Birmingham and Leicester/Nottingham and would restore a station which was closed in 1968.

Coventry East is on the line linking Coventry and Rugby and would provide a brand new station in the Binley/Willenhall area.

The proposed station development funding has come from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) which was awarded to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) by the Department for Transport.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMRE chairman, said: “With five new railway stations under construction and a sixth on the way, we’re getting on with delivering the transport infrastructure local people want to see right across our region.

“We’ve now whittled down our list of stations to a priority list of these three at Castle Bromwich, Coventry East and Tettenhall – as these are the ones most likely to deliver the biggest benefit to the communities they serve.

“For those locations which did not make the shortlist, we’re still looking at ways to bring forward delivery.

“The £1.7 billion Midland Rail Hub scheme – now fully funded by government – may provide an avenue and will certainly be a game changer enabling us to connect even more towns and communities to the rail network.

“New rail infrastructure can be transformative for an area – offering residents sustainable and convenient access to rapid and reliable public transport. That’s why it’s good news that local people will benefit from these stations very soon.”

Further proposed stations which have not made the shortlist could be reconsidered once the Midlands Rail Hub is under construction.

The hub will increase regional rail capacity between the East and West Midlands as well as into Birmingham city centre via Moor Street Station.

A previous Tettenhall station was located on the Wombourne branch line, however it only lasted seven years between the line’s opening in 1925 and passenger services ceasing in 1932.