Transport connectivity shapes whether young people can get to college or work, whether businesses can grow, and whether communities feel connected or left behind. In the Midlands and North Wales, transport is the difference between opportunity and stagnation. And right now, the gap between political promises and real-world delivery is widening fast.
Nowhere is this clearer than on buses. For many people in the West Midlands, buses are the only form of public transport available. In constituencies like Aldridge-Brownhills, there isn’t even a single railway station. Bus fares therefore matter – especially for young people trying to access education, apprenticeships or their first job.
Other regions have recognised this reality and acted. In Tees Valley, Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen introduced a £1 bus fare for under-21s, boosting ridership and helping young people into work. Wales has gone further, rolling out £1 single fares nationwide for 16- to 21-year-olds. The evidence is clear: lower fares widen opportunity and increase usage.
So why not the West Midlands?
Our Labour Mayor talks frequently about fairness and inclusion, yet young people here still face some of the highest bus fares in the country. While other regions cut costs to unlock opportunity, young people in the West Midlands are priced off the network. This is not a question of evidence – it is a question of political will.
The Mayor’s answer is franchising. In principle, greater local control of buses could bring better routes, fairer fares and improved standards. But the truth matters. Franchising will take many years to deliver and will require far more funding than is currently allocated. Greater Manchester’s experience shows that clearly. In the meantime, passengers are told to wait – while services remain unreliable and fares remain high.
The same pattern repeats on rail. The Midlands Rail Hub is the single most important rail project for our region. It would unlock capacity, improve frequency, and make new and reopened stations viable. Yet while £123 million has been allocated, that money is only for development work – not delivery. The remaining £1.75 billion, previously committed under the Conservative’s Network North plan, has been pulled back, leaving the project in limbo.
Ministers now speak warmly about Northern Powerhouse Rail. But without the Midlands Rail Hub, there is no Midlands engine to power it.
This paralysis has real consequences. Passenger services on the Sutton Park Line remain a distant aspiration because additional capacity is always “under review”. Aldridge has been without a passenger station for decades. Under the previous West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, funding was identified and land secured. Then under Labour, priorities changed. Funding was redirected, Aldridge station was paused, and local people were told to wait – again. The project didn’t fail a business case; it fell victim to political decisions.
Even promising ideas like open-access rail services highlight the problem. Proposed operators could run trains through Aldridge along the Sutton Park Line – but without a station, those trains will simply pass through. Connectivity cannot be delivered on paper alone.
Roads tell the same story. In Aldridge-Brownhills, they remain the backbone of local travel, yet development is racing ahead of infrastructure. Large-scale housing proposals on Green Belt land around Stonnall Road and Bosty Lane would add hundreds of homes without the necessary road upgrades. These routes already feed into Chester Road, an accident black spot with a tragic history. Residents are right to ask why houses are set to be approved first and safety addressed later – if at all.
Transport policy cannot be reduced to glossy strategies and endless reviews. Across buses, rail and roads, the pattern is clear: ambition without delivery. Young people priced off buses. Rail schemes half-funded. Towns told to wait. Housing built without infrastructure.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We know what works. What’s missing is action.
If the Government wants people to believe in its plans for growth, it must start matching ambition with delivery. The Midlands and North Wales are ready to play their part – but not with stalled projects, permanent reviews and empty promises. Our communities have waited long enough. It’s time to stop deferring and start delivering transport that actually works.
Ambition Without Delivery: Why Transport in the Midlands Is Failing the Next Generation
