The Midland Metro is a light-rail tram system in the West Midlands of England.

It presently runs between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury.

Line One, the 20.2km (12.5 miles) Birmingham to Wolverhampton route, was opened in 1999, and runs mostly along the trackbed of the former Great Western Railway line between the two cities (which was disused for many years). At the southern end, the present terminus is Birmingham Snow Hill station in Birmingham city centre. At the northern end, trams move off the former railway trackbed to run along streets to a terminus at St. George's in Wolverhampton city centre.

The system is owned and promoted by the public transport body Centro, but operated by a private consortium.

So far the Midland Metro has carried about five million passengers annually, fewer than expected.

Vehicles and services

The Metro operates a fleet of 16 Italian built Type T69 articulated two-car trams, which were built by Ansaldo, and have a top speed of 70km/h (43.5 mph). Each tram has 56 seats and can carry 208 passengers, and also have wheelchair access.

Throughout most of the day, services are run at eight minute intervals, although this is less frequent at weekends.

Future extensions

Although fewer people use the trams than expected, expansion to the system is planned, including in the near future, an on-street extension through Birmingham city centre running close to Birmingham New Street Station then to Five Ways and Edgbaston, and a branch from Wednesbury to the Merry Hill shopping centre at Brierley Hill.

Recently, there has been talk of running the tram lines through Birmingham city centre in underground tunnels, rather than through the streets.

Further into the future, Phase Two extensions are proposed, to link Birmingham city centre to Birmingham International Airport. Another line is planned to connect Wolverhampton to Dudley, Wednesfield, Willenhall (connecting with Line One), and Walsall.

The section of the Midland Metro between Wednesbury and Brierley Hill (via Dudley) is expected to be opened in 2008, while the line heading eastwards from Birmingham will probably open in 2010.

See also

• Transport in Birmingham
• West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive

External Links

• Travel Midland Metro
• Light Rail Transit Association