Midland Metro
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Transport for West Midlands |
| Area served | Birmingham, Wolverhampton |
| Locale | West Midlands county |
| Transit type | Tram/Light rail |
| Number of lines | 1 |
| Number of stations | 26 (9 more awaiting construction) |
| Annual ridership | 4.8 million (2015/16) |
| Website | nxbus |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 30 May 1999 |
| Operator(s) | National Express Midland Metro |
| Number of vehicles | 21 |
| Technical | |
| System length | 13 miles (21 km) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | Overhead line (750 V DC) |
| Top speed | 43.5 miles per hour (70.0 km/h) |
The Midland Metro is a light-rail/tram line in the county of West Midlands, England, operating between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via the towns of West Bromwich and Wednesbury. The line operates on streets in urban areas, and reopened conventional rail tracks that link the towns and cities. The owners are Transport for West Midlands with operation by National Express Midland Metro, a subsidiary of National Express. TfWM itself will operate the service from October 2018. The Midland Metro Alliance brings together West Midlands Combined Authority as well as various engineering and consultancy firms in a long term framework agreement to design and construct future expansions.
The line 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 operational. Various other extensions, including entirely new lines, are currently under construction.
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.
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 the West Midlands County Council and the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive formed a joint planning committee to look at light rail as a means of solving the conurbation's congestion problems. In the summer of 1984 they 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.
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