Trams will not be running to Wolverhampton Railway Station in time for the Commonwealth Games after all. The much delayed extension has been delayed further, and although it is expected that the majority of construction works will be over by the end of July there will be some to complete from August with testing then following – subject to tram availability.
Originally due to be opened by the end of 2020 the short extension has been beset by various delays, but earlier in 2022 it was announced that they hoped to start running a service by July. However, this date has now been further pushed back, with local politicians saying they had been told it was to allow time to complete footpaths and for tram testing.
A spokesperson from the Midland Metro Alliance said: “The majority of construction activity is set to be completed in early July, with some minor public realm works to conclude after the games. Testing and commissioning will begin after the Games, subject to tram availability, with a view to opening later in the year. This has been part of a complex interchange project involving numerous partners and multiple works.”
Cllr Ian Brookfield, leader of Wolverhampton City Council, didn’t hold back in his comments, quoted in the Wolverhampton Express and Star: “This is terrible news for the Metro and a real blow to our city. Quite frankly it’s an absolute disgrace. People in the city have been let down. The extension is 18 months overdue in the first place and we were promised it would be ready for the start of the games. It’s like the whole operation is being run by a second rate outfit. What type of message will this send to people who come into our city and see tram lines down but no trams running? People are losing faith in the Metro and this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Infrastructure to serve sporting events being built but not finished is commonplace the world over. Olympic Games where metro lines for them were unfinished has happened a number of times. Events like the Commonwealth Games are soon past and forgotten, like the World Student Games in Sheffield in 1991 that it was proposed Supertram should serve. They had to go by bus, as they will in Wolverhampton. Sports-minded visitors to the city will not even notice the unused tramway. Perhaps they could travel on the figurative camel mentioned by Ian Brookfield.
Not everyone will be put out by this – there’ll no doubt be plenty of very busy, very happy taxi drivers during the Games. Let’s hope the Councillor’s comments don’t antagonise the parties concerned, otherwise the delays may simply drag on, even in the very worst case, into enforced abandonment.
Did the council not have a penalty clause for late completion built into the contract? I agree with the councillor, it is a shambles, but the council are partly to blaime for allowing the project to get so far behind.
If visitors to the city don’t notice the lack of trams it makes one wonder how good an investment they are for the city in the first place?