With more passengers returning to travel on the West Midlands Metro an enhanced timetabled will be introduced from Monday 6th November seeing additional trams running at busy periods. This will include three additional trams added to the usual peak service meaning services will be running every 5-10 minutes both in the morning and late afternoon/early evening.
Speaking about the introduction of these extra services, Michael Reading-Skilton, Commercial Manager at West Midlands Metro, said: “The Metro is now busier than ever, and the opening of two new stops with the extension to Wolverhampton Station has further boosted its popularity. The network’s recovery since the Covid-19 pandemic has been remarkable, with customer numbers now well above those seen before the crisis as more and more people discover the convenience and value for money offered by the tram. These extra services will make the tram an increasingly attractive travel option, making journeys more comfortable at busy times while helping us deliver an even more reliable and sustainable service for the tens of thousands of people who rely on us every day.”
There are ten services running from Wednesbury Parkway to Edgbaston Village in the hour from 0731 to 0831 Monday to Friday with the frequency being between every 5 and 10 minutes. This includes two services which come directly from depot. The extra services are only short-lived though with three trams returning from Edgbaston Village to Wednesbury Parkway, arriving back at 0901, 0921 and 0941 before retiring to depot. Departures from Wolverhampton Railway Station remain every 10 minutes with none of these extra services seeming to run north. There are also a couple of additional trams running in the afternoon/evening to provide a slightly better frequency – again not going north of Wednesbury though.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and Chair of West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “As our regional economy continues to bounce back post Covid, it’s been very encouraging to see the level of take-up for public transport – with more and more people using it to get to work. We have seen this most clearly on the Metro where the popularity of the service has sometimes led to crowding on some services hence why we’re delighted to announce that more trams are being introduced at peak times to ease that pressure and provide passengers more frequently.
“Given how in-demand tram services are, it underlines our case for investing further in expanding the network in both Birmingham and the Black Country. These better links across and between our towns and cities will reduce traffic congestion and offer local people a rapid and reliable alternative to the car for their regular commute or for leisure trips.”
* The new timetable can be downloaded at https://westmidlandsmetro.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/WOL-EDG-Timetable_update_NOV23.pdf