THE Mayor of the West Midlands has officially opened a new rail training academy in Dudley.

The Transport, Rail and Infrastructure Academy (TRIA) has been set up to increase employment opportunities for local people and meet the demand for skilled operatives to work in the construction and maintenance of train lines, tram routes and stations across the region.

The launch took place at the TRIA's new site at the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation's Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Zoological Drive, Dudley, where Mayor Andy Street also cut the ribbon to open a new Signalling Academy.

The TRIA has been developed by the City of Wolverhampton College and National Infrastructure Solutions to increase employment opportunities by giving local people the skills needed to work in the sector.

To help support residents into good jobs in rail, the West Midlands Combined Authority is investing of £1.1m to create 432 training places at the Dudley site.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chair of West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “Hundreds of millions of pounds are being invested right now into the region’s train and tram network with new rail lines and stations being built and new Metro routes under construction.

“That’s great news for the travelling public but we also need to make sure this unprecedented investment benefits local people in terms of new jobs and careers. That’s why the WMCA is helping to fund this state-of-the-art training academy and matching skills courses to the needs of our regional economy.

“I can’t wait to see local people land good quality jobs in the rail industry as a direct result of this latest investment, further cementing the role of the West Midlands as the training hub of the UK.”

Davie Carns, managing director of National Infrastructure Solutions, said: “TRIA is the next step in the relationship and will give us the framework to provide specialist courses across multiple locations in the West Midlands, encouraging greater employer engagement and the potential for more jobs.

“The Black Country Signalling Academy at BCIMO is another example of how we are listening to businesses and developing training for more technical roles that are currently in high demand.

“Our first six months in Dudley have been a resounding success with 500 students trained already. This is just the start.”

The academy already has an industry-standard rail training site at the college's Wellington Road campus, in Bilston, which features more than 40 metres of railway track and was the first in the UK to offer training on slab track technology which is used in the construction of high-speed rail lines - with plans to open an additional site in Aston, Birmingham, later in the year.

The Dudley site boasts more than 2,000 metres of conventional rail track, including two split-level platforms, an 870m tunnel and signalling components to give students hands-on training in multiple disciplines across the industry and enhance their learning experience by working with the same equipment as used on rail construction sites.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: “It is fantastic that we have this state-of-the-art training facility in our borough.

“It will give borough residents the opportunity to learn the skills needed to become leading lights in the fast-developing light rail sector.”