Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the (a) redevelopment of Wolverhampton Railway Station and (b) extension of the West Midlands Metro on passenger numbers using the new Wolverhampton interchange.

Centro developed the business case for the redevelopment of Wolverhampton railway station. The Department for Transport evaluated this business case and accepted it. In determining to grant statutory powers for the Metro extension to the railway station, a component of the Interchange project, the Secretary of State placed substantial weight on the promoters’ evidence of the important public benefits which the extension would realise. The evidence forecast an increase in annual patronage on Midland Metro of 5.4% in 2026 through improvement of interchange between the three modes of transport in the city: bus, rail and metro, and as a result of the increased connectivity that is currently lacking.