Sophie Allison, who has been Interim Managing Director of Midland Metro Limited (MML) for two years, has been confirmed in the Managing Director role on a full-time basis.
Sophie has more than two decades of valuable transport experience and has already steered the tram operator through a major period of change and expansion of the network. This has seen two extensions open whilst the fleet has continued to grow with more Urbos100 trams being delivered.
She initially joined Centro (the predecessor of Transport for West Midlands) in 2006 and has been with MML since 2018 when she was initially Head of Business Transformation. Since then she has established a track record of dedication to the team and a steadfast commitment to delivering outstanding service to customers.
Anne Shaw, Executive Director of Transport for West Midlands, said: “I am pleased to extend my congratulations to Sophie on this well-deserved appointment. Her contributions during her time as interim managing director have been outstanding, and we look forward to following her continued success now the role has been made permanent. The appointment has been made at a crucial point as the Metro system looks forward to further growth with the ongoing construction of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill and Birmingham City Centre Eastside extensions, alongside the redevelopment of the West Midlands tram depot.”
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, said: “Congratulations to Sophie on her appointment. She has extensive public transport experience to draw on and her leadership has been of immense value during what has been a period of significant growth and change for our region’s Metro network. With further expansions on the horizon, Sophie’s commitment to delivering outstanding service is laudable and aligns perfectly with our goal of providing a safe, secure, reliable, and sustainable transport offering here in the West Midlands. I very much hope local people benefit tremendously in the months and years ahead as a result.”
The final word goes to Sophie herself: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the entire Metro team, our trams are more popular than ever, and I’m delighted to be leading them into a new era. As we look towards further expansion, our focus will be on further enhancing the customer experience for the thousands of people who rely on us every day.”
It has been very noticeable over the last couple of years that WMM has made Hugh changes and has got a lot better delivereing a passinger service.
The work towards repairing the problems with the worn track has been taking place , and there is more work planned ( Kenrick park) I believe is next ,the removal of the many speed restrictions will go along way in service time operation .
Painting of the Tram stop fencing has started ( Kenrick park ) being the first being done .
The line side vegetation ( which was a total mess for years) has finally been made good with trees and vegetation been totally changed for the better ,the gardeners have done a tremendous job in all weathers cutting down large trees which we’re a danger in high winds of falling on the overhead wires
and also giving drivers a much better view of the route , the whole route now looks much better than it was .
All the track points have been upgraded with new motors new point blades , signals have also seen upgrades new electrical cabinets etc
The over head wire problems that we’re a common problem ! have have seen repairs and replacement to parts on the infrastructure, The pathway between the hawthorns to black lake has had new fencing between the path and Tram line and with the removal of vegetation it is now much safer to walk along.
New sercurity cameras have been fitted to all stops along the route , and at all stops the information screens have been replaced with clearer larger new information screens.
The Twitter service is a constant and welcome service update at the look at your phone and is an easy way to report a problem quickly via message .
The problem with the Urbos 3 tram fleet has been going through a repair programe with just a couple more to go and many have been back in service again,a few in store ready for call back to duty .
The depot itself is being enlarged for more office space , the sidings are also being enlarged to cope with influx of the 20 new Urbos 100 fleet trams much liked by passingers .
A new washer plant for the trams has been built .
The route extension at both ends of the line have seen a Hugh increase passinger numbers ,it’s difficult to get a seat now even in day time service with so many using the system daily .
Al these changes just in the last couple of years since WMM hit an all time low .
yes we’ve all moaned and kicked the metro
( probably me more than most )
WMM has had its problems ,many and for sometimes no one was listening to them.
BUT they have/ and are being addressed now , WMM is a totally different and better tram system than it was just a couple of years ago
the six minute service much needed will be the high point .
The recent extra trams at morning & peak rush hour being introduced is another important improvement .
To many passingers they will be oblivious to much these changes ,But every step in the right direction leads to a better safer working system .
Now WMM has a Good captain at the helm hopefully many more improvements will added to the list .
Ps , don’t forget the most important items
the working Frontline staff .
Congratulations on your new posting
Is something been done about the waterlogged Terminal in Brum as Edgbaston was very very Muddy