This week is another week of out and in at West Midlands Metro’s Wednesbury Depot with another swap of trams being stored off site at Worksop. So far we’ve had the one out with 29 having headed to Nottinghamshire with a tram expected to return later in the week.
As we’re seeing regularly with these tram swaps now, the tram which has gone to Worksop has previously been there. 29 originally left on 21st August 2023 and then came back to Wednesbury on 20th February 2024. Its latest departure came on 5th August 2024. Its also spent time away at Dudley for repairs with it being one of those to go to the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre. It was there December 2022-March 2023.
Five trams will continue to be stored off-site at Worksop for now whilst upgrade works continue around the depot site. This temporarily means that there is not as much space for trams at Wednesbury and with the extension to Dudley, Merry Hill and maybe Brierley Hill having been delayed there is less demand for trams at the current time with the larger fleet having been ordered in advance.
Despite not having been operational, 29 has received the 25th anniversary Metro logos as we see it being loaded onto the lorry at Wednesbury. (Photograph by William Snook, 5th August 2024)