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Midland Metro

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Ken Bromage

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Reports this week of a new tram arriving.Presumably for the increase due to the imminent opening of the Broad St extension
 
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duncanp

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Reports this week of a new tram arriving.Presumably for the increase due to the imminent opening of the Broad St extension

Could well be.

The opening of the extension isn't all that imminent though.

Whilst most of the track has been laid up Broad Street, they are still building the stop at the terminus on Hagley Road.

The latest I heard is that the extension will open towards the end of this year.

It will be interesting to see what the stop at the terminus is called.

If they call it Edgbaston, then it could lead some people to think that the cricket ground is nearby, when in reality it is miles away.

Also regarding the Metro, I have heard that there is going to be some disruption in the city centre this summer whilst they put in a junction near to the Bull Street stop for the Eastside extension to Digbeth.
 

DannyMich2018

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I went shopping on Friday to Birmingham and had a look at the progress of extension (really tall new building going up well nearby, must be 40+ floors!) Yes the track work looks all done but it's other works still in progress such as tram stops, pavement works etc so end of year is likely. I assume it's battery operation the whole of the new section to the new terminus from New St stop?
 

Ken Bromage

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I went shopping on Friday to Birmingham and had a look at the progress of extension (really tall new building going up well nearby, must be 40+ floors!) Yes the track work looks all done but it's other works still in progress such as tram stops, pavement works etc so end of year is likely. I assume it's battery operation the whole of the new section to the new terminus from New St stop?
It has been said that the overhead will be done with all the finishing work
 

Bald Rick

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Perhaps for the Wolves extension? I’ve lost track of when that’s due to open.
 

P Binnersley

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Midland Metro have ordered "21 new Urbos trams for rapidly expanding network" from CAF (with an option for 29 more).
The approved extensions are
- Library (Centenary Square) to Edgbaston Village (Hagley Road).
- Wolverhampton City Centre (to railway station)
- Birmingham East side extension to HS2 station/Digbeth.
- Wednesbury to Brierley Hill/Merry Hill via Dudley

There is also a proposal for an extension from Digbeth to the HS2 Interchange station via NEC/Airport.
 

Robertj21a

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I just hope that they get on with any future extensions with a good deal more speed than has been evident to date.
 

Cherry_Picker

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METRO SERVICES SUSPENDED FROM 11 JUNE​

Metro Services Suspended

We are sorry that there will be no Metro services from 11 June until further notice.

We have been informed by the vehicle manufacturer that they have identified a fault which is affecting some of our trams. As a precautionary measure, we have taken the decision to remove all 21 trams from service until all trams have been inspected.
We are working alongside the manufacturer, CAF, to restore services as quickly as possible.
While this situation is ongoing, we are committed to keeping our customers moving. Metro tickets and passes will be valid on the alternative modes of transport detailed below:
  • National Express bus service 74 between West Bromwich and Birmingham
  • National Express bus service 79 between Wolverhampton and West Bromwich
  • West Midlands Railway and Avanti train services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused. This decision has not been taken lightly. Please be assured that every option has been fully considered to avoid suspending the service.

 

the sniper

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I don't think CAF will be getting a reference from the West Midlands Combined Authority any time soon...
 

syorksdeano

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The curse of CAF continues. Do we know if Edinburgh is affected too, as they also use the Urbos 3 as well.
Nothing showing as out of service yet. Could be a full inspection of the West Midlands ones before Edinburgh get told to pull them from service as well
 

Wolfie

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The Express & Star reports that it's due to cracks in the underframe structure at either end of the trams.

The Guess and Stir may be correct but isn't exactly famous for it's accuracy... As a Wolves fan l may be biased so let's wait and see this time....
 
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Clip

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The curse of CAF continues. Do we know if Edinburgh is affected too, as they also use the Urbos 3 as well.
It's not a curse of CAF just an alleged bad design, also note that other manufacturers of light and heavy rail are also having issues.
 
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The Guess and Stir may be correct but isn't exactly famous for it's accuracy... As a Wolves fan l may be biased so let's wait and see this time....

To be fair, the information about the cracks is in a quote, attributed to "Steve McAleavy, managing director Midland Metro Ltd", so that seems like a pretty good source.
 

Wolfie

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To be fair, the information about the cracks is in a quote, attributed to "Steve McAleavy, managing director Midland Metro Ltd", so that seems like a pretty good source.
True enough.

It's not a curse of CAF just an alleged bad design, also note that other manufacturers of light and heavy rail are also having issues.
There is a constant push to reduce vehicle weight - l can't help wondering if there is a connection.
 

duncanp

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In order to connect the Digbeth extension with the existing network at Bull Street, as well as track replacement along Corporation Street, there will be no service between Bull Street and Library from 26th July until "October".

"Alternative travel arrangements" are going to be made, but it doesn't say what these are.

Going to be a bit of nuisance, but the extension to Edgbaston will be very useful for me, so I guess I will just have to put up with it.


Changes to normal service from 24 July​

From Saturday 24 July, there will be changes to our normal services while work is carried out to tie-in the existing track to the Birmingham Eastside Extension which will connect Metro services with Digbeth and the new HS2 station at Curzon Street. There will also be track replacement work taking place on Corporation Street at the same time.
There will be the following changes to our normal timetable to allow this work to be completed:
  • On Saturday 24 July, trams will terminate at St Chads from 21:30 until the end of service
  • On Sunday 25 July, tram will terminate at St Chads from 19:00 until the end of service
  • From Monday 26 July until October 2021, trams will operate between Wolverhampton St George’s and Bull Street only. There will be no services between Bull Street and Library.
Alternative travel arrangements will be provided for the duration of the work, which is due to be completed in October.
We are sorry for any disruption to your journey caused by this essential work.
Thank you for your understanding while the work to deliver our Metro extensions takes place.
 

Sprinter107

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I was quite surprised to read earlier that the track all along Corporation Street down to Stephenson Place will all be renewed after just 5 years .
 

317 forever

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The reference above that Midland Metro "until October 2021, trams will operate between Wolverhampton St George’s and Bull Street only" suggests that the extension to Wolverhampton station won't open until at least October.
 
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