All change! West Midlands Metro showcase new-look trams
Trams will be sporting a new look after the service was brought under new management.
The striking blue trams will be seen pulling into Black Country stations having undergone a re-brand.
The service will now be known as West Midlands Metro and will be run by Midland Metro Ltd, part of the region's combined authority.
White and pink carriages have become a familiar sight over the years for commuters but trams have been refreshed to mark the new era.
The change comes after 18 years of the service being run by National Express. Passengers are being promised lower fares and new ticket packages now it is under the control of the combined authority.
Midland Metro Ltd (MML) is a new operating company that has been set up to run the tram service and will be wholly owned by the WMCA.
Awarding the new operating contract to MML is intended to allow Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the WMCA, to plough future profits back into the network.
It comes as major work is being carried out to extend the line into Wolverhampton city centre. Another £200 million extension will see the metro head into Dudley for the first time, via Tipton and Merry Hill.
The new seven-mile line from Wednesbury will run along part of the former South Staffordshire railway from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill town centre with 17 stops, including at the DY5 Enterprise Zone at the Waterfront, Merry Hill Shopping Centre, Dudley Bus Station, and at Castle Hill for the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Castle.
