Costs of new Walsall rail stations set to rise by £15m

Work is underway to build a new railway station in Willenhall

The cost of building two new railway stations in Walsall is set to rocket by more than £15m, developers say.

The potential budget rise for stations in Willenhall and Darlaston follows the collapse of the original contractor Buckingham Group.

The scheme was saved when Kier Transportation bought Buckingham's rail division.

But it has led to the project's delay for more than a year and costs to spiral by nearly £15.5m.

The project is designed to link Walsall and Wolverhampton directly by passenger train for the first time in more than half a century.

'Open in winter 2025'

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Board is due to be asked to approve the budget increase at its meeting on Friday.

The authority had already agreed an increased budget of £69.84 million in June, to cover pressures caused by land remediation works and fire safety requirement changes.

A report to members stated both stations were likely to open in winter 2025/2026 rather than summer next year, as previously hoped.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) said the increased costs would be accommodated through additional funding it received, and it remained committed to delivering the project.