The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded £10m to reopen two railway stations, closed in the 1960s, on the Walsall to Wolverhampton line.
The cash is for the construction of new stations at Darlaston and Willenhall, while further costs are being met from the region’s HS2 Connectivity Fund.
Original stations in Darlaston and Willenhall closed in 1965 and only through services have used the line since then.
Design for Darlaston Railway Station
The project is being led by the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), working in collaboration with the DfT, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway, Walsall Council and the City of Wolverhampton Council.
Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said: 'Not only will the money help us to build high-class stations at both Darlaston and Willenhall, but these new stations will help drive significant regeneration of the Walsall to Wolverhampton corridor.
'By getting people out of their cars and onto this re-opened passenger line we are tackling both congestion and the climate change emergency at the same time. This announcement really is brilliant news.'
Both stations will have long-stay car parks, with 300 spaces provided at Darlaston and 150 spaces at Willenhall.
Planning applications are due to be submitted later this year and it is hoped work will start next year in time to reopen the line to passengers by the end of 2021.
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