PLANS to give Dudley town centre its first passenger rail link for 60 years are on track thanks to a £4.5million funding boost.

The scheme will see a link created from Castle Hill to Dudley Port station on the line to Birmingham city centre.

Funding provided by The Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal, accounts for just under a quarter of the £20million scheme, with the rest of the cash generated through European funding, private sector investment and Dudley Council.

Plans include building a Light Rail Innovation Centre on council-owned site of the old Dudley Train Station, off Station Drive and Tipton Road at the bottom of Castle Hill.

The council has formed a partnership with Warwick Manufacturing Group, which is keen to use Dudley's disused rail lines to test new Very Light Rail (VLR) technology.

Proposals will create around 50 jobs in advanced manufacturing at the outset, but have the potential to create hundreds more in the future as the centre will specialise in prototype vehicle design and construction, as well as providing education, and research and development facilities to local businesses.

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for transportation, said: “We are delighted to receive this first wave of funding for the project which is one step towards us revolutionising rail travel in Dudley as well as creating 50 jobs.

“This money will help create the centre which will be a landmark for innovations in light rail travel and help kick start our vision for the first links in Dudley to the passenger rail network in half a century.”

Dudley North MP Ian Austin, who has been campaigning to bring rail services to Dudley for the last decade, has welcomed the funding boost.

He said: "Connecting the town to the wider transport network will help bring new businesses and new jobs to our town, help visitors get to the castle, the zoo and the Black Country Museum and make it easier for local people to get to work elsewhere.

“This funding brings a Dudley rail link one step closer and I’ll be working with Dudley Council and Centro until the project gets the full funding it needs.”

Work on the scheme could start as soon as next year with council bosses setting a five year target for the rail line to re-open.