Work begins on £13m Metro depot expansion

Work has started on a £13.8 million expansion of Wednesbury's Midland Metro depot in a scheme which will create 15 jobs.

The project will see the existing Metro Centre at Potters Lane updated ready to receive 20 new trams as part of the £128m expansion of the line.

Construction firm Morgan Sindall has been awarded the contract for the work. Work will see a 138ft extension to the east of the existing maintenance shed along with four new stabling sidings.

There will also be a separate testing and commissioning shed as well as upgrades to the existing overhead line, infrastructure and communications, and a new substation at Colliery Road in West Bromwich.

It will create 15 new jobs and work is scheduled for completion in summer 2013.

The Government gave the final go-ahead in February for work to start on a 0.8 mile extension from Snow Hill to New Street station in the heart of Birmingham city centre which will also see a new tram fleet.

Spanish tram manufacturer CAF has been chosen to supply up to 25 Urbos 3 trams in a deal worth in the region of £40m.

Once completed the expansion of the Metro will result in 1,300 new jobs and be worth £50m a year in added GDP to the regional economy.

Councillor Tom Ansell, lead member for rail and Metro for Centro, said: "This is an exciting development for the Midland Metro.

"Morgan Sindall have been appointed to the job after a rigorous tendering procedure."

Jag Paddam, managing director of infrastructure at Morgan Sindall, added: "This is our first project for Centro and we look forward to working with them and delivering a project of which they can be proud."

The first new tram is scheduled to come into service – on the existing line – in February 2014.

The city centre extension with the full new tram fleet is scheduled to be in service from March 2015.