The West Midlands Metro has now been running for 25 years and to mark the anniversary a special ceremony took place at Wednesbury Depot where nine year old Pargunn Kaur Birring unveiled her logo on the side of a tram.
As was reported earlier this month, Pargunn, from Wattville Primary School in Birmingham, won a company aimed at Primary School children in the region to design a logo for the 25th anniversary celebration. The logo features pictures of areas the tram serves (or will serve) with the wording “Celebrating 25 Years” but does not mention West Midlands Metro or depict a tram at all.
Part of the prize in being selected as the winning design saw Pargunn and some of her classmates and teachers treated to a VIP tour of Wednesbury Depot. Wattville Primary School were also presented with a cheque for £500.
Sophie Allison, Managing Director of West Midlands Metro, said: “As well as congratulating Pargunn and her school on submitting the winning entry, we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the competition. The designs we received reflected the connection that the Metro has with the communities we serve and, as we look forward to further expansion, we understand that young people will have a vital role in our future success. At the same time, this special anniversary offers the opportunity for everyone to reflect on the benefits the Metro has delivered for the West Midlands over the past quarter of a century.”
New Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, also made his first visit to the depot to help the celebrations. He said: “Pargunn thoroughly deserves this – she’s a talented artist and has a bright future ahead of her – it is a fantastic design and makes a striking addition to our trams for the 25th-anniversary celebrations. I look forward to seeing the emblem while out and about on the Metro network. The Metro plays a key role in the communities it serves so we are delighted to welcome Pargunn, her family and teachers from Wattville Primary School to see for themselves the work that goes into keeping the trams running, ferrying thousands of passengers a day between Wolverhampton, West Bromwich and Birmingham. It is an integral part of our public transport system and that is why we are busy extending the line into new areas like Dudley and Digbeth.”
The logo is due to be applied to all trams in the fleet but at the time of writing they were still covered up.