The Express & Star speak to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander during her visit to Parkhead Viaduct, Dudley, to see work being done in preparation for the Dudley to Merry Hill tram link.
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00:00Hello, it's Mark Andrews for the Express and Star. We're at the Parkhead Viaduct just outside
00:06Dudley, a remarkable feat of engineering which until about 30 years ago used to carry heavy
00:12trains. I'm joined by the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander. Hello. I'd like to
00:19tell me, you're here now, you're here for the launch of the work on phase two of the Midland
00:24Metro extension from Dudley to the Merrihill Shopping Centre. Correct. Do you want to tell
00:28me a little bit about what the benefits of this project will be, why it's important?
00:32Well look, I think for the first time communities in Dudley and Briary Hill are going to have a
00:38direct tram connection into the West Midlands Metro which will mean that they can get directly
00:44into Birmingham, into Wolverhampton. That means shorter journey times, better connections,
00:50greater access to jobs, education, opportunities and that's for everyone across the black country
00:57and I think this area has really been underserved for far too long when it comes to high quality
01:02public transport options and so having that direct link I think will be transformative.
01:09I think it's lovely as well to think that this old piece of railway history, this old viaduct here,
01:17in later this year when phase one happens we're going to see passengers travelling on the tram
01:25and then when phase two finishes those trams are going to be running over this viaduct
01:30and you know I think it's about using what we've got, making best use of what we've got
01:35and actually providing a really high quality public transport service for communities along the line.
01:42Now this viaduct used to be part of the route that went up from Derby up to the north east in
01:47the one way and then to London the other. What would you say to people who say it would have
01:51been better use of money to have opened the line to heavy rail rather than to the part of
01:56it for the tram system? So heavy rail can be a very very expensive investment and whilst phase two
02:03of this project costs about 295 million pounds which is still a very significant investment
02:09in and of itself, light rail can actually often be delivered more quickly but it provides the
02:15same benefits in terms of having local stops, opening up new bits of connectivity through to
02:23whether it's Merrihill, the shopping centre or going through to Wensbury and then directly onto
02:29the metro network and you know I just think this is so critical to the economic future of
02:34this part of the country because I was at the Black Country Living Museum earlier today and
02:39they were telling me how you know they've got aspirations to have half a million visitors
02:44come into that fantastic visitor attraction every year. About 90 percent of people that go
02:49to that museum at the moment use their car to get there so if people are actually visiting Birmingham
02:55you know are spending time in central Birmingham that direct connection out on the public transport
03:01network for people that don't know the area I think is you know a fantastic thing for
03:07local communities here and so you know that's why I wanted to come along speak to the construction
03:12team and learn about the progress that's being made. But if you're bringing people in from other
03:16parts of the country isn't it quicker to have a heavy rail line that can connect up to
03:22different parts of the country? So I think we always have to find a balance in these investments
03:27and it's about what provides good value for money for the taxpayer and I think schemes like this do
03:34if you think about the overall tram extension from Wensbury down to Briarley Hill that's about 600
03:40million pounds worth of investment. We've also got obviously a huge construction scheme happening
03:48between London and Birmingham at the moment which is HS2 which is tens of billions of pounds to
03:54construct that new railway that's going to slash journey times as well just as this new tram will
03:59slash journey times from central Birmingham to communities like Dudley and Briarley Hill and so
04:05it's really what you're trying to achieve and I think in terms of the way in which people live
04:09their lives you know being able to jump on the tram and go and visit friends and family access jobs
04:16access education as well this is really really important and you know the people that are
04:21building this new tram link it's going to be their kids and their grandkids that are going
04:25to be able to be using it in the coming years when it's up and running. You spoke about the
04:30generation now from the point of view of Dudley Town Centre is it going to be good for Dudley Town
04:37Centre having a link that takes people right up to the shopping centre big out-of-town shopping
04:43centre which many blame for the demise of Dudley Town Centre and to Wolverhampton and to Birmingham
04:47is that going to be beneficial for the regeneration of the high street? So I think we need to have a
04:54new approach to how we regenerate our high streets because I think people are shopping
05:00in different ways and we can't turn back the clock we do have out-of-town shopping centres
05:06we need to make sure that there's cultural facilities leisure options in our town centres
05:13places where people can go have a meal you know that's why I thought that looking at what the
05:18Black Country Living Museum are trying to do in the heart of Dudley and they've got exciting plans
05:23as well they were telling me about about the way in which they would like to do more on their site
05:28there this is about jobs you need to create footfall in the town centres but our town centres
05:34aren't going to be exactly the same as they've been over the last few decades but will it create
05:39footfall or take it out? Well I think it works both ways doesn't it so it you know some people
05:44that are living in the centre of Dudley will want to get to Merrihill shopping centre but they will
05:49also want to access jobs in other parts of the Black Country but it also gives people the ability
05:56to come in and so public transport is absolutely critical to driving economic growth I think the
06:03question you're asking me is a slightly wider one about the future of our high streets we're
06:07working very hard as a government on things like reviewing business rates as well over the longer
06:13term so we can ensure that we've got you know thriving local businesses in the heart of our
06:18community all over the country. Heidi Alexander, thank you very much.