Midland Metro

Midland Metro

Urbos 3 trams at the Midland Metro depot in Wednesbury

The Midland Metro is a light-rail/tram line in Birmingham and the Black Country. Most of the route is in Staffordshire, including the northern terminus at Wolverhampton, with the line crossing into Warwickshire at Winson Green towards the Birmingham terminus. Towns on the route include West Bromwich and Wednesbury. (map)

It opened on 30 May 1999, mostly using the former disused Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Line. An extension into Birmingham city centre was approved in 2012, and is now partially operational (the full extension is scheduled to open in 2017). Various other extensions, including entirely new lines, have been proposed but not yet approved.

History

Birmingham once had an extensive tram network run by Birmingham Corporation Tramways, however, as in most British cities, the network was abandoned, with the last tram running in 1953.

1984 proposals

There had been proposals for a light rail or Metro system in Birmingham and the Black Country put forward as early as the 1950s and 1960s, ironically at a time when some of the region's lines and services were beginning to be cut back. However, serious inquiry into the possibility started in 1981 when a planning committee was formed to look at light rail as a means of solving the conurbation's congestion problems. In the summer of 1984 it produced a report entitled "Rapid Transit for the West Midlands" which set out ambitious proposals for a £500 million network of ten light rail routes which would be predominantly street running, but would include some underground sections in Birmingham city centre. One of the proposed routes would have used part of the existing line as far as West Bromwich.

The scheme suffered from several drawbacks, one being that three of the proposed routes, from Birmingham to Sutton Coldfield, Shirley, and Dorridge would take over existing railways, and would have included the conversion into a tramway of the Cross-City Line, between Aston and Blake Street, ending direct rail services to Lichfield. The northern section of the North Warwickshire Line was also to be converted as far as Shirley station, leaving a question mark over existing train services to Stratford-upon-Avon. Tram tracks would also run alongside the existing line to Solihull and Dorridge, with local train services ended.

The most serious drawback however, which proved fatal to the scheme, was that the first proposed route of the network, between Five Ways and Castle Bromwich via the city centre would have involved the demolition of 238 properties. This invoked strong opposition from local residents. The scheme was spearheaded by Wednesfield Labour councillor Phil Bateman, but was eventually abandoned in late 1985 in the face of public opposition, and the Transport Executive was unable to find a Member of Parliament willing to sponsor an enabling Bill.

1988 proposals

T-69 on the former Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Line

Following the establishment of a new Passenger Transport Authority in 1986, a new light-rail scheme under the present name "Midland Metro" was revived with a different set of lines. The first of up to 15 lines was intended be operating by the end of 1993, and a network of 125 miles was planned to be in use by 2000.

In February 1988, it was announced that the first route, Line 1 would be between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, using much of the disused trackbed of the former Birmingham Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Line, a route not included in the 1984 recommended network, partly as at that stage the section between Wednesbury and Bilston was still in use, not closing until 1992. The Wednesbury to Birmingham section had closed back in 1972, and the section between Bilston and Wolverhampton was last used in 1983.

A Bill to give Centro powers to build the line was deposited in Parliament in November 1988, and became an Act of Parliament a year later, with completion expected by the mid 1990s.

A three line network was initially planned, and powers were also obtained to build two further routes. Firstly an extension of Line 1 through the city-centre to Five Ways, then a second line, Midland Metro Line 2, running to Chelmsley Wood, and then Birmingham Airport. A third line, Line 3 was also proposed, running from Line 1 at Wolverhampton to Walsall, using much of the disused trackbed of the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway, and then, using the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill trackbed of the South Staffordshire Line (which would close in 1993) running southwards to Dudley intersecting with Line 1 along the route. This would provide a direct link with the new Merry Hill Shopping Centre, which was built between 1984 and 1989.

Some 25 years later, Line 2 and Line 3 have not been built. In 1997 Centro accepted that they were unable to get funding for the proposed lines, and therefore adopted a strategy of expanding the system in "bite-sized chunks", with the city-centre extension of Line 1 as the first priority. The intention was that the first decade of the 21st century would see the completion of the first of these projects.

Work on the Birmingham Metro tram extension began in June 2012, launched by transport minister Norman Baker. The dig was begun at the junction of Corporation Street and Bull Street, with work to move water pipes and power cables.

On Sunday 6 December 2015, Trams entered service on the extension to Bull Street.

Construction

A contract for the construction and operation of Line 1 was awarded to the Altram consortium in August 1995, and construction began three months later. The targeted completion date of August 1998 was missed by ten months, leading to compensation being paid by Altram.

The estimated construction cost in 1995 was £145 million (approximately £236 million in 2012 prices). Of this, loans and grants from central government accounted for £80m, the European Regional Development Fund contributed £31m, while the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority provided £17.1m and Altram contributed £11.4m.

Line One

The route of Line One, shown in red

Line 1, the 12½-mile Birmingham to Wolverhampton route, was originally opened on 31 May 1999, and runs mostly along the trackbed of the former Great Western Railway line between the two cities which was closed in 1972. Of the 23 tram stops, 11 roughly or directly match former railway stations. Originally, the line terminated at Birmingham Snow Hill station, using the space of one of the former rail platforms. However in 2015-16, the line was extended across Birmingham city-centre to terminate at Birmingham New Street station.

At the southern end the terminus is Grand Central New Street Station tram stop, which allows interchange with the National Rail network at Birmingham New Street station, it then runs on street through the city-centre to Birmingham Snow Hill station. From there, the line runs north-west, and for the first few miles it runs alongside the Birmingham to Worcester railway line, before the two diverge. Two stations on this stretch (Jewellery Quarter and The Hawthorns) are also tram/railway interchange stations.

At the northern end trams leave the railway trackbed at Priestfield to run along Bilston Road to St Georges terminus in Bilston Street, Wolverhampton city centre. St Georges has no direct interchange with other public transport, but the bus and railway stations can be reached on foot in a few minutes.

The original proposal was to run into the former Wolverhampton Low Level station, but this was abandoned, giving the terminus a link to the very centre of Wolverhampton.

Rolling stock

An original T-69 tram alongside an Urbos 3 at Wolverhampton

The Midland Metro is operated by a fleet of 21 Urbos 3 trams, constructed by the Spanish manufacturer CAF. The present fleet was introduced into service during 2014-15, replacing the original fleet of 16 Italian-built Ansaldobreda T-69 trams.

Urbos 3 tram on display at Wolverhampton

In February 2012, Centro announced that it was planning a £44.2-million replacement of the entire tram fleet. CAF was named preferred bidder for 19 to 25 Urbos 3 trams. A £40 million order for 20 was signed, with options for five more. The new fleet provides an increased service of 10 trams per hour in each direction, with an increased capacity of 210 passengers per tram, compared with the 156 passengers on the former T69 trams. The Urbos 3 trams are 108 ft long; 30 ft longer than the former T69 stock, and have a maximum operating speed of 43 mph.

The first of the new trams was unveiled at the Wednesbury depot in October 2013, with the first four entering service on 5 September 2014, they replaced all of the T-69s in August 2015.

Four T-69s (01, 07, 03 & 04) have been transferred to the tram test centre at Long Marston in October 2014.

Bibliography

• Boynton, John (2001). Main Line to Metro: Train and tram on the Great Western route: Birmingham Snow Hill – Wolverhampton. Kidderminster: Mid England Books. ISBN 978-0-9522248-9-1. 

Further reading

• Johnston, Howard (25 February – 10 March 1998). Midland Metro: City centre extension could be next. EMAP Apex Publications. OCLC 49953699. 

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Midland Metro)

• Route map
• Official web site