The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) have agreed to provide additional funding for the expansion of the West Midlands Metro depot at Wednesbury. Costs have gone up by more than £7.65 million to £76 million.
The depot is currently being expanded to provide enough capacity for the full tram fleet needed as the tram network continues to be expanded in the future. Work includes additional stabling sidings, a new control room, extra workshop and engineering facilities and an improved training academy.
Jo Shore, Director of Delivery at Transport for West Midlands, said: “The expansion of the depot is a crucial part of our plans to grow our Metro network providing extra stabling for a much larger tram fleet, increased workshop and engineering facilities, a new control room and an improved training academy to develop our talented staff.
“The depot improvement works, which include upgrades to power supplies and overhead cables, will future-proof the Metro ahead of further growth of the network, including the planned East Birmingham and Solihull extension and provide additional resilience to existing tram operations.
“We regularly review projects to add additional scope or reflect operational changes. The budget for these works reflects changes in specifications and scope in several areas to improve durability and lifespan as well as a review of wider project costs.”