Work is now back underway at the Willenhall and Darlaston railway station sites on the Walsall to Wolverhampton Line as leading infrastructure services, construction and property group Kier takes over the project.
September saw ground preparation works draw to a halt at the two new station sites as the main construction contractor Buckingham Group went into administration. One month later, work is back underway following Kier's acquisition of Buckingham Group's railway contracts.
Transport for West Midlands, which is part of West Midlands Combined Authority, has come to an agreement with Kier to see the project continue with work now back on track.
Once complete, Willenhall Station and Darlaston Station will provide services to Walsall, Wolverhampton and Birmingham for local communities for the first time since the 1960s. The stations will see two trains call each hour between Walsall and Wolverhampton and an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
The project is led by Transport for West Midlands and the West Midlands Rail Executive alongside Walsall Council, West Midlands Railways, Network Rail and the Department for Transport and comes as part of the #WM2041 plan which aims to achieve net zero over the next 20 years whilst offering accessible and convenient public transport. The stations may also bring a boost in investment both commercially and also in industrial and residential development.
Friday the 13th of October will see a project update presented to the West Midlands Combined Authority board due to the pause in work and the changeover of contract means that budget and timescales will be altered and will require a thorough review which will take place over the coming weeks and months.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and West Midlands Combined Authority Chair, said:
“For Buckingham Group staff who were working on Willenhall and Darlaston stations, the last few weeks have understandably been a difficult time.”
“That's why it's great news that we will see many of them back on site now that we have reached an agreement with Kier. We wanted any pause or disruption in works to be kept to an absolute minimum, and we worked closely with Kier to resolve this matter swiftly.”
“Most importantly of all, for residents right across our region, this means we can now get on with delivering these railway stations – providing the better transport connectivity that local people in Willenhall and Darlaston want to see.”
Cllr Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council and West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio holder for transport, said:
“Although there have been a difficult few weeks on-site, we can now look ahead with renewed enthusiasm. This will not only offer local people easy access to the railways, it will make Willenhall and Darlaston more attractive to investors and businesses, creating regeneration opportunities and new jobs for locals.”
“This is why it is vital we get back to work at the earliest opportunity.”
Joe Incutti, Group Managing Director, Kier Transportation, said:
“We're pleased that the contract novation for the Willenhall and Darlaston station projects has been completed, following our acquisition of parts of the Buckingham Group. We can now remobilise the team and continue our work on this important project.
“Connecting people is our common goal in Kier Transportation. We are therefore delighted to be working with West Midlands Combined Authority on this project, and to have the opportunity to build an enduring relationship with the authority to support its ambitions in the region.”
Great news. Good to see Kier in my region delivering these huge projects. 👏