Midland Metro services through to Grand Central will not open to the public on Sunday 22nd May after all with further work required before passengers will be able to travel on the extension from Bull Street. The decision has been taken by Centro “following extensive safety checks”.
As recently as the middle of last week Midland Metro and Centro were still advertising that the line would be opening, even going so far as releasing a new timetable and providing details of fares but the past few days have evidently thrown up some issues which prevents the line – which had originally been due to open in December 2015 – from opening to the public.
The official statement from Centro states that “services were scheduled to start running from Bull Street to Stephenson Street from Sunday May 22 but have now been put on hold for further track alignment works.”
Phil Hewitt, Centro’s Midland Metro Programme Director, said: “It is bitterly disappointing as everything else is in place and ready to go but, as we have said right from the start, safety is paramount. A stringent testing programme has identified minor anomalies in some of the track alignment which need to be addressed. These are exactly the sort of issues the tests were designed to identify. However remedial work is relatively straightforward. Once that is complete, on-street driver training can begin and we will soon have passenger services running.”
A Midland Metro family fun day had also been due to take place at Martineau Place – close to the new stop at Corporation Street – on Sunday 22nd May but this has been cancelled as there isn’t actually anything to celebrate on this day after all.
The delay will come as a bitter disappointment to many and is just another delay in this project which for such a short extension seems to have taken a very long time to get off the ground with initial construction starting in 2012.
No new dates has been announced for the opening although it looks likely to be June at the earliest before trams are running to Grand Central with driver training yet to commence.
The first test runs on the line through to Grand Central took place on 25th April with 37 the tram chosen to do the honours. We will now all have to wait a little while longer before this is a regular sight. (Photography by Andy Walters)
Where on route is the problem is it on Stephenson St or Corporation St.
BBC Midlands Today last night reported track alignment not right for the trams to operate on the extension. When fixed there would still be a week needed for driving training. Speculation here in Birmingham that they will try and open line quietly during Bank Holiday weekend – probably the Sunday, assuming they can align the track. There is no detail of where the problem or problems on the track are.
Yet again another delay to add to the four years of construction. I see that the reason given is attributed to issues “following extensive safety checks”. Is this a smokescreen? Has anyone from Centro visited the intersection of Corporation street, New Street and Stephenson Street on a Saturday afternoon? It is difficult on occasions to actually make your way through the crowds towards your intended direction. Could I suggest that in addition to the training of crews that is still required, the training of staff carrying Red Flags to walk in front of the trams should also be implemented.
i think part of the route is wrong, i think it should have gone bull st, turning on to high st stop close to the bullring then turning onto new st and running full length towards town hall with a stop outside the burlington hotel then onto the town hall.
This must be close to the top of the list of case studies of “how not to do it”. I hope there are penalty clauses in the contract.
Delayed yet again! Tell me the same old story.
Midland Metro website still saying extension to New Street Station opening May 22nd. Centro has updated their site and cancelled the family day on Sunday near the Corporation Street tram stop
Two different rumours coming from sources close to Birmingham.
1. suggests that clearance between passing trams is below minimum required at some locations.
2. suggests that gap between platform and tram at one of the stops exceeds the maximum allowed in DDA requirements…
Watching what “remedial works” are done and where should confirm or refer either of the above…
Utterly ludicrous! This whole extension, which is basically a siding anywhere else, has taken longer than doubling and trebling the size of our other Tramways. Is this what happens when we use British designers and labour? Perhaps we should ‘buy in’ in future and have it done in less than half the time. I must admit the whole thing looks dubious to me, those tight corners on relatively steep gradients and narrow streets with huge articulated Trams.
The old Amsterdam line through Bakkerstraat had a few inches’ clearance between the buildings on either side. Operators run trams through very narrow streets in many European cities; they seem to be able to calculate clearances without any hassle.
I agree with you it’s down to the contractors they have made a right mess of this so they just get there money and run and I’ve noticed some marking out on the track were I think the is being done
Just another typical british construction and implementation botch-up. How many decades will it take to extend the Midlands Metro any further? I am 70 years of age. Sadly, I will surely be long gone before any further extensions are running.
When will we witness major construction projects that will be completed on time and on budget?
The Metro extension is is an embarrassing botch – up, a total waste of money, with minimal if any benefit at all to the West Midlands economy.
More time was wasted on wrangling and arguing over where the project funding would come from than it took to build the extension.
Four years to build an extension one mile long? An embarrassing and costly mistake which will almost certainly be further replicated on any further Midlands Metro projects.
Rodney Coleman
ITV locally saying “This time it is because safety testing of the trams on the new lines found the rails are not perfectly level” which could confirm either rumours cited above by Paul. It goes on to say “The Spanish manufacturer CAF is now analysing the data and then alterations to the lines will have to be made, however remedial work is relatively straightforward” citing a Centro spokesman.
It could be worse, you could live here in Leeds. £60 million wasted on trams/trolleybuses that never arrived. At least you have rails in the ground. There must be easier ways of getting tram systems off the ground!
Hi to every one I’ve been down done new st seen some track work being so far at least its a start
Translation please anyone?
I can see why that’s “anonymous” – I wouldn’t want to put my name to that gibberish.