Medland Metro

West Midlands integrated transport authority Centro has announced that an extension of the Midland Metro will open next month, which will connect to Birmingham New Street station.

Following electrical safety checks and test runs, the full length of the extension from Snow Hill Station to New Street will go into service on 22 May. The service will also travel via Bull Street and Corporation Street, which was the starting point for a successful test run towards Birmingham city centre.

Test results are being reviewed by Centro and UK rail infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR). Subject to any last minute issues, on-street driver training will begin.

Centro Midland Metro programme director Phil Hewitt said: "Now that we have completed these crucial trials we are in the final preparations to start services down to New Street and Grand Central, with all the benefits that will bring to Birmingham city centre and the wider West Midlands economy."

In February, NR granted Centro to take possession of New Street station to run stringent testing of electrical systems along the new route. This helped ensure the Metro’s systems would not interfere others’ using New Street.

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Work on the 1.2km link began in 2012 and it was originally scheduled to open by December last year. The extension is part of a £128m project, which has seen the introduction of a new fleet of 21 Urbos 3 trams, a refurbished depot at Wednesbury and a new stop at Snow Hill station.

"Now that we have completed these crucial trials we are in the final preparations to start services down to New Street and Grand Central, with all the benefits that will bring to Birmingham city centre and the wider West Midlands economy."

Centro Midland Metro director Ben Ackroyd said: "This is great news for passengers. Our Midland Metro drivers are keen to start running the trams all the way down to New Street. They have already been learning the route on our simulator in the depot at Wednesbury.

"In the next few weeks, the public will see our drivers out in the training tram, getting ready to carry passengers on 22 May."

The new link is expected to boost the West Midlands economy by more than £50m a year and create around 1,300 new jobs.

The metro runs between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, serving locations such as the Jewellery Quarter, West Bromwich, Wednesbury and Bilston, as well as delivering more than three million people a year directly into the heart of Birmingham’s main shopping district.


Image: The Midland Metro makes a successful test run along Corporation Street in Birmingham city centre. Photo: courtesy of Centro.