Bill to fix tram stop height could top £350k

The tram lines in Dudley will be the wrong height for the road once a temporary surface is removed

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.

It said if external funding could not be found, the council would have to pick up the bill alongside TfWM.

The BBC has contacted TfWM for comment.

Findings 'largely inconclusive'

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."

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