Maine Stays Journal · Local guide
The tram is coming to Merry Hill: the 2028 Metro extension explained
West Midlands Metro trams are being extended from Dudley to Merry Hill and Brierley Hill, with opening planned for 2028. The second phase adds new stops including Cinder Bank and Pedmore Road. Merry Hill is about 2 miles by road from our house, The Merry Hill Lounge.
A tram line decades in the making
A tram from Wednesbury through Dudley to Brierley Hill was one of the routes in the region's 1988 light rail plan. Funding and planning hold-ups pushed it back again and again. Work on the line finally began in 2020.
The full extension is an 11 km (6.8-mile) line. It leaves the existing Birmingham to Wolverhampton tramway just east of Wednesbury Great Western Street, follows the bed of the old South Staffordshire railway through Tipton and runs on-street into Dudley town centre, through the new bus station. From there it picks up old railway land again before a new section serves the Waterfront business park and Merry Hill Shopping Centre, ending in Brierley Hill.
Two phases, two dates
Rising costs led to the project being split in two in July 2022. Phase one, a four-mile stretch from Wednesbury to Flood Street in Dudley, is built and has been in testing through 2026.
Phase two, from Dudley to Merry Hill and Brierley Hill, started construction in February 2025, funded through the government's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement for the West Midlands.
The Midland Metro Alliance, which designs and builds the network for Transport for West Midlands, says the second phase will open to Merry Hill in 2028. It calls the scheme the largest tramway extension being delivered anywhere in the UK.
An old railway brought back to life
Much of the route uses the bed of the disused South Staffordshire Line. Passenger trains last ran on it in the 1960s and goods trains until 1993. Network Rail has announced plans to reopen the line for freight, which is why planners looked at trams and freight sharing the corridor.
Further out, a branch from Brierley Hill on to Stourbridge Junction is among the extensions the region has bid to fund, though no date has been set for it.
Where the new stops will be
The second phase adds new stops at Cinder Bank and Pedmore Road. Dudley Council's published route plan lists 17 stops for the whole line, several of them marked provisional, with Waterfront, Merry Hill Centre and Brierley Hill at the southern end.
Stop names can change before a line opens, so check Transport for West Midlands before you plan a journey around a particular stop.
What it means for visitors and working guests
When the government announced the second phase in February 2025 it promised journey time savings of up to 30% compared with the bus and greater reliability at peak times.
For anyone staying near Merry Hill, the tram should make Dudley, Wednesbury and the main tram line to Birmingham and Wolverhampton easier to reach without a car. Until then, Cradley Heath station, under a mile by road from the house, The Merry Hill Lounge, has West Midlands Railway trains to Birmingham Snow Hill and Moor Street, Stourbridge Junction and Worcester.
Where to stay: The Merry Hill Lounge
- Four bedrooms and a sofa bed, sleeping up to 10
- Two bathrooms, a full kitchen and a washer dryer
- Free off-road parking with room for vans as well as cars
- 500 Mb Wi-Fi and a private back garden
- Bills included, with up to 20% off stays of 28 nights or more
Sources
- Midland Metro Alliance, 11 July 2025
- GOV.UK, 6 February 2025
- Wikipedia: West Midlands Metro
- Dudley Council: Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension
- Express & Star, 7 September 2026
Sources checked on 6 October 2026. Road distances are measured on OpenStreetMap from the house, The Merry Hill Lounge, on 6 October 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
When will the tram reach Merry Hill?
The Midland Metro Alliance says the second phase of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill extension will open to Merry Hill in 2028.
When does the Dudley section open?
It was due on 28 August 2026 but missed that date. In September 2026 Dudley Council's leader said he had been given 1 November 2026, the same day as the new bus station.
How far is The Merry Hill Lounge from Merry Hill?
Merry Hill and the Waterfront are each about 2 miles by road from the house.
Your Black Country stay,
sorted.
The Merry Hill Lounge: a whole house in Brierley Hill for up to 10, with parking, fast Wi-Fi and every bill included.