We’ve been reporting a lot this week about trams returning to service on the West Midlands Metro but havn’t featured photos of all of them so here we see images of both 29 and 24. They both returned to service still with white panels where the replacement panels had been fitted.
29 was the third or fourth of the Urbos3 trams to be sent to Dudley for repairs with it departing in December 2022. After the replacement panels were fitted it was returned to Wednesbury in March 2023. It then re-entered service on 2nd May 2023. Unlike the other recent trams to have returned to service after repairs it has come back into use without new blue vinyls having been applied to the replacement panels making it stand out from the rest of the fleet – at least for now!
It was followed into service by 24 on 12th May 2023. This went to Dudley for repairs in January 2023 and it was then back after the work in March 2023. It too returned to service with white panels but soon after returning to action also received vinyls on the windows for Pride stating “Proud to Me”.
29 calls at West Bromwich Central. (Photograph by Mark Cufflin, 5th May 2023)
And another photo of 29, this time as it stands at Edgbaston Village. (Photograph by Andy Walters. 6th May 2023)
24 back in service still with its plain white panels.
A close-up of the windows on 24 showing the 2023 Pride stickers. (Photographs x2 by Andy Walters, 20th May 2023)