People in Dudley give their verdict on the long-delayed Metro extension into the town centre, weighing years of disruption against the promise of faster links, new jobs and a bus–tram interchange that aims to plug the Black Country back into the wider rail and Metro network.
00:00The signs of the metro are hard to miss in Dudley. A long promised line from Wendsbury is being pushed into the town centre.
00:08With track on Castle Hill and new signals and lighting taking shape.
00:13The old bus station has gone with a new interchange rising in its place.
00:18Trams are planned to run straight through here and link into routes for Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
00:24Supporters see a town finally reconnected after decades without rail.
00:28Others see years of cones, diversions and disruption that drained trade and patience.
00:35The promise is quicker, cleaner trips. The doubt is whether it fits people's habits or budgets.
00:40With the bicycles now built, the question turns to how people here think they will actually travel when services begin.
00:47No, I'll definitely be using it.
00:50Honestly, for myself, I'm bringing my car into Dudley Town Centre.
00:54For me, it's going to be better for me to use the metro.
00:58I'll probably use it now and again, see what it's like, see what the route's like really, see whether it's people are going out and have a look around.
01:07Because I mean, some of the songs you get put up are using the buses, so I probably will do.
01:11That's actually a good question. I probably will end up carrying on using the bus or, you know, or the train occasionally.
01:22I'm not sure about how the chum's going to work because they're trying to make it go from Birmingham to Dudley and into Mary Hill and seeing the work that's already been done at Mary Hill.
01:32Well, it's actually a really tough task.
01:36I don't know how they're going to pull it off, to be honest, but I really hope that they do well with it.
01:43For years, the town centre has taken the hit for this project.
01:49Castle Hill, narrowed by cones, buzz routes pushed onto temporary stops,
01:54pavements fenced off while crews dug in kaibling and concrete.
01:59Traders talk about quieter days, staff facing longer trips
02:02and customers who say they avoid the town because the roads feel like a construction zone.
02:07The council and combined authority argue the short-term pain will pay off once buzzes and trams connect inside the new interchange.
02:15Some residents agree and see overdue investment.
02:18Others feel they carry the cost without a clear voice in the trade-off
02:22and still wonder how smooth their journeys will be once trams begin.
02:27I think the trade-off has been worth it.
02:30Honestly, there's been quite a lot of disruption for students coming and going to college.
02:35I was setting off a little bit earlier because I live on the streets.
02:39Leaving work to set off to come to work at Kaibling has been like most probably 10-15 minutes,
02:45but the upheaval of Kaibling will be worth it in the long run, the deaf net.
02:49You don't get so many people coming up here really, so a bit of a shame,
02:53but a lot to offer, but people don't want to come and have a look.
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