Tram heads past Birmingham Town Hall on first test of West Midlands Metro line
This is the moment trams ran on the new West Midlands Metro line through Birmingham city centre.
Passengers will be able to catch the Metro from Grand Central through to Centenary Square by December.
Engineers watched on as the first tram headed along the tracks past Birmingham Town Hall on Thursday night.
It marks the start of testing for the extended line which should be fully up and running by Christmas.
The Midland Metro Alliance, which oversees the project, says it is the first time a battery-powered tram has run on such a system.
The familiar overhead cables, as seen running along Bilston Street, into Wolverhampton city centre have been ditched for this expanded section of the line.
Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street hailed the success of the first tram test.
The former John Lewis CEO said: “Although there have been many milestones in this ambitious project to extend the tram network to the westside of Birmingham, this successful tram test marks a significant moment in the first phase of the project.
"It is fantastic to see that final preparations are now underway to start services from Grand Central to Centenary Square, with all the benefits that will bring to Birmingham city centre and the wider West Midlands economy.”
Phil Hewitt, Director of West Midlands Metro, added: “In the next few weeks, the public will see our trams on the new extension as we complete all of the essential testing and training needed to ensure we are ready to carry passengers in December.
"The fact that these trials are being completed using battery power alone marks a major step forward for light rail across the country.
"It’s a real first for the West Midlands and opens up new opportunities to deliver tram routes in areas that may otherwise have proven challenging for aesthetic and engineering reasons.”
Plans are in place to further extend the Metro line to Hagley Road in Edgbaston.
Meanwhile work is 80 per cent complete on the extension to the line along Pipers Row in Wolverhampton.
It had been expected that work would be completed by the end of summer to lengthen the line to city's train station.
But with the start of September looming, Midland Metro Alliance said the works would be lifted “in the coming weeks”.
The Metro will eventually take passengers from Wolverhampton Railway Station through the Black Country into Birmingham.
