Midland Metro, Tram 16, Wolverhampton, 1999
Midland Metro, tram No16 crossing the bow-back bridge in Bilston Street, Wolverhampton in July 1999, just a couple of months after this new tram system opened.
The tramway at this time operated between Wolverhampton (Bilston Street) and Birmingham (Snow Hill Station), using much of the disused rail bed of the former Birmingham Snow Hill - Bilston - Wolverhampton Low Level railway line. This became known as Line-1.
In the intervening years, the Metro has since been extended to serve Birmingham City centre and Fiveways. At the Wolverhampton end, the line now servers High Level Railway Station. Additionally, a major 6.8km extension from Wednesbury to Dudley and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre at Brierley Hill is at an advanced stage of construction from Wednesbury to Dudley (Phase 1).
The construction of the original Midland Metro had commenced in late 1995, the system being opened on 30th May 1999. The 25-year contract to operate Line-1 had been awarded to the Altram consortium, made up of Ansaldo, John Laing Group and National Express. In 2006, Ansaldo and John Laing Group withdrew from the consortium, leaving the day-to-day operation of the tramway to the remaining partner, National Express Group. In October 2018, the National Express concession ended and the system was taken over by 'Transport for West Midlands', the transport arm of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The Midland Metro was originally operated by a fleet of 16 Ansaldo Breda T-69 trams, but these were gradually replaced between September 2014 and August 2015 by a fleet of new CAF Urbos-3 tramcar units, of which 42 units were eventually delivered.
Midland Metro, Tram 16, Wolverhampton, 1999
Midland Metro, tram No16 crossing the bow-back bridge in Bilston Street, Wolverhampton in July 1999, just a couple of months after this new tram system opened.
The tramway at this time operated between Wolverhampton (Bilston Street) and Birmingham (Snow Hill Station), using much of the disused rail bed of the former Birmingham Snow Hill - Bilston - Wolverhampton Low Level railway line. This became known as Line-1.
In the intervening years, the Metro has since been extended to serve Birmingham City centre and Fiveways. At the Wolverhampton end, the line now servers High Level Railway Station. Additionally, a major 6.8km extension from Wednesbury to Dudley and the Merry Hill Shopping Centre at Brierley Hill is at an advanced stage of construction from Wednesbury to Dudley (Phase 1).
The construction of the original Midland Metro had commenced in late 1995, the system being opened on 30th May 1999. The 25-year contract to operate Line-1 had been awarded to the Altram consortium, made up of Ansaldo, John Laing Group and National Express. In 2006, Ansaldo and John Laing Group withdrew from the consortium, leaving the day-to-day operation of the tramway to the remaining partner, National Express Group. In October 2018, the National Express concession ended and the system was taken over by 'Transport for West Midlands', the transport arm of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The Midland Metro was originally operated by a fleet of 16 Ansaldo Breda T-69 trams, but these were gradually replaced between September 2014 and August 2015 by a fleet of new CAF Urbos-3 tramcar units, of which 42 units were eventually delivered.