As expected Ozzy Osbourne was in Birmingham City Centre on Thursday 26th May to unveil his name on the side of the newest of the Urbos 3 trams, 37. The ceremony took place at the new stop on Corporation Street with Cllr John Clancy, leader of Birmingham City Council, and Cllr Roger Lawrence, the chairman of Centro ITA, also present.
This is the second of the Urbos 3s to receive a name – 35 was named Angus Adams by The Queen in November 2015 – and like 35 takes the form of a transfer although this time in less than traditional font.
The naming took place as driver training continued ahead of the full opening of the city centre extension with public services set to launch to Grand Central on Monday 30th May.
Cllr John Clancy, Cllr Roger Lawrence and Ozzy Osbourne alongside the tram.
Ozzy Osbourne in front of his newly named tram.
Inside the tram and Ozzy Osbourne gives the conductor a hug.
Shortly after the name was unveiled. (Photographs x4 courtesy of Centro)
37 at West Bromwich Central on 27th May showing off its new name. (Photograph by Andy Walters)
Video by Martin Miller
BBC News ran this story on the same day as 37 was named
Trams running from Birmingham to Wolverhampton have not made a profit in the 17 years since the line opened, accounts seen by the BBC have revealed.
National Express, which runs the Midland Metro, has lost about £34m on the route since 1999.
The news comes days before an extension to New Street is set to open.
The company said it had expected people to make fewer long journeys and more short journeys, which would have brought in more money in fares.
Originally it was expected eight million passengers would be using the trams each year, but only about five million do so. About 85 million passengers have used the service since 1999.
Further lines to Edgbaston and Centenary Square are planned once the latest scheme, costing £128m, has opened.
The transport operator hopes to have more than nine million passengers using the expanded network by 2026.
Midland Metro network losses
£34m
Losses since 1999
8 million Passengers were expected a year
5 million Currently use the service each year
£128m Project to extend the line
National Express, operators of Midland Metro
BBC
Director Martin Hancock said the loss had helped the company gain experience bidding for work in other countries.
“The existing line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton is an important part of the public transport network,” he said.
Jonathan Cheetham, chairman of Retail Birmingham, said the “extremely complicated” building work “has not been easy for anyone”, but he hoped the work would help businesses in Birmingham.
“In a city of this size, it’s imperative that we’ve got a great transport network,” he said.
‘One isolated line’
“Investors from abroad, which we’ve seen a lot of recently, know and understand how important transport is.”
Dr Pat Hanlon, senior transport economics lecturer at the University of Birmingham, said it was “not surprising” the line had been losing money and added developing a network was “the crucial factor” in making it profitable.
He said: “There’s a bigger role for things like trams in this city, because an underground railway doesn’t look as if it’s ever going to be a feasible proposition – it’s going to be far too expensive.
“If you’ve only got one isolated line, people don’t get in the habit of using trams, they hardly know that they are there.”
If they had built the other lines at the same time (some of which cannot be built now as the Parliamentary powers have lapsed), then it would have been more useful and attracted more passengers. Would Ozzy have his name on a tram if Black Sabbath had only made one album?
Was it really Ozzy or Jon Culshaw doing one of his uncannily accuarate impressions!