West Midlands Metro news
The West Midlands Metro light rail line connects Birmingham with Wolverhamption. Previously knows as Midland Metro, the network is owned by the West Midlands Combined Authority and operated by its subsidiary Midland Metro Ltd.
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Metro Report InternationalWest Midlands Metro extended to Wolverhampton railway station
UK: A 600 m branch of the West Midlands Metro light rail network to Wolverhampton railway station was opened on September 17, including an intermediate stop at Pipers Row to serve the city’s bus station. ‘With two new stops and services up to every 10 min, ...
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Metro Report InternationalIdentifying tramway training needs
UK: The Light Rail Safety & Standards Board is working with sector professionals to identify their current and future training needs and provide access to practical information and forums to share best practice. This follows a workshop in Birmingham that brought together representatives of the Edinburgh, ...
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Metro Report International’One app, one account everywhere’ as Transport for West Midlands revives MaaS ambition
UK: Transport for West Midlands has appointed FOD Mobility Group to design, develop and deliver a mobility-as-a-service app based on its Mobilleo MaaS platform. Users will be able to plan journeys, receive live travel information and book and pay for local transport options including buses, trains, ...
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Metro Report InternationalSubsurface mapping company enters UK market with tram survey
UK: Non-intrusive subsurface mapping technology company Exodigo has entered the UK market by working with Colas Rail on the West Midlands Metro extension programme. Colas Rail used Exodigo’s technology to scan for unmapped utilities on the route of the light rail extension to Birmingham’s future Curzon ...
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Metro Report InternationalWest Midlands Metro extension track installed in Digbeth
UK: The Midland Metro Alliance has installed the first section of track in Digbeth as part of the Eastside light rail extension. Running from Bull Street in Birmingham’s city centre via the future High Speed 2 terminus at Curzon Street to Digbeth, the 1·7 km extension ...
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Metro Report InternationalWest Midlands Metro extension to Edgbaston opens
UK: The 1·4 km second phase of the Birmingham Westside light rail extension opened on July 17, adding three stops at Brindleyplace, Five Ways and the Edgbaston Village terminus. Services run every 12 to 15 min, with peak time frequencies to be increased as more of ...
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Metro Report InternationalBowTie supports West Midlands metro expansion project
UK: The Midland Metro Alliance which is expanding the West Midlands Metro light rail network has used BowTieXP software to develop a comprehensive database of risk assessments on the Edgbaston Village and Wolverhampton station extensions. Developed for the Light Rail Safety Standards Board, the software is ...
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Metro Report InternationalCommonwealth Games target for restoring full West Midlands Metro tram service
UK: West Midlands Mayor Andy Street tells Metro Report International that he has met CAF CEO Javier Martínez Ojinaga to discuss the discovery of cracks on Birmingham’s trams.
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Metro Report InternationalCracks cause further West Midlands Metro suspension
UK: Tram services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton operated by West Midlands Metro were suspended on March 19 after further cracking was identified in the fleet of CAF Urbos 3 vehicles.
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands transport investment priorities agreed
UK: The West Midlands Combined Authority board agreed a ‘wide-ranging’ list of more than 50 preferred schemes to improve rail, tram, bus, road, cycling and walking routes on January 14. The list includes the proposed Very Light Rail line in Coventry city centre, Aldridge station, developing ...
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Metro Report InternationalWest Midlands Metro governance inquiry launched
UK: An independent review into the governance of the West Midlands Metro light rail network is to be carried out in the wake of the withdrawal of the CAF tram fleet which operates services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
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Metro Report InternationalWest Midlands Metro services suspended over tram cracks
UK: West Midlands Metro announced on November 12 that services would be suspended for at least four weeks from the following day because of cracking on its CAF Urbos 3 trams. The manufacturer discovered cracks during maintenance checks in June, and services were suspended from June ...
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Metro Report InternationalFunding sought for West Midlands Metro expansion
UK: The West Midlands Combined Authority Board has approved bids for £2bn of government funding for investment in tram, rail, bus and cycling infrastructure over the next five years The bids cover the refurbishment and upgrading of West Midlands Metro’s Birmingham – Wolverhampton light rail line, ...
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Metro Report InternationalTraining academy to support tram network expansion
UK: West Midlands Metro has opened a training academy at its Wednesbury depot, as the tram operator plans to create more than 160 driving, maintenance, ticket inspection and support jobs as part of a £1∙3bn network expansion programme. As well as providing a central location for ...
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Metro Report InternationalEnglish light rail networks get final tranche of Covid-19 funding
UK: The government has announced £56m of funding to support the operation of Manchester Metrolink, Tyne & Wear Metro, Sheffield Supertram, Nottingham Express Transit, West Midlands Metro and Blackpool Tramway services from July 20 to April 2022. The funding announced on July 16 is expected to ...
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Metro Report InternationalMade-to-measure accommodation bogies for tram refurbishment
UK: West Midlands Metro commissioned depot equipment specialist Mechan to produce three bespoke accommodation bogies to enable its trams to be stored outdoors while their bogies are refurbished. Following the operator’s initial enquiry, Mechan engineers visited Wednesbury depot to measure the CAF Urbos 3 trams and ...
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Metro Report InternationalBattery tram delivered ahead of West Midlands Metro expansion
UK: West Midlands Metro has taken delivery of the first of eight battery-equipped third generation CAF Urbos trams ahead of the opening of extensions to Edgbaston Village at the Birmingham end of its light rail line and to Wolverhampton station at the other end. In October ...
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Metro Report International5G tram to help visually-impaired passengers travel independently
UK: Technology to provide real-time information for visually impaired passengers is being tested on the West Midlands Metro, where a CAF tram and a number of stops have been fitted with 5G equipment in a project being undertaken with the West Midlands 5G group, transport infotainment ...
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Metro Report InternationalITSO on Mobile goes multi-modal
UK: ITSO on Mobile ticketing is now available on buses as well as tram and rail services in the West Midlands, after Transport for West Midlands extended its Swift mobile ticketing scheme to bus operators. Swift will initially offer nNetwork tickets to passengers playing by direct ...
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Metro Report InternationalFurther funding for English light rail services
UK: The government is making further funding of up to £67·8m available to support light rail services in England during the coronavirus pandemic.