Our series where we take a look at trams from different times in the same location on a tramway moves onto the West Midlands Metro for the next few weeks. In this series we feature two photos and for the West Midlands Metro that means one of the original T69 trams and one of the more modern CAF built trams. The first location in this return is Wednesbury Parkway.
Its 4th October 2013 when we first go to Wednesbury Parkway and we see T69 04 approaching the stop with a service that tells us is going to Wolverhampton St George’s, and who are we to disagree! The tram has just passed the crossover which allows trams to access the three track layout here, with the stop being the only one on the network to feature three platforms. The access to Wednesbury Depot is just behind where we can see another T69 just inside the gates. 04 would have only around 16 months in service before withdrawal in February 2015. It has now been scrapped following a period of storage at Long Marston.
By 2025 not a great deal seems to have changed at first glance in this shot which has bene taken from a slightly different angle. This time we see Urbos23 approaching the camera on its own way to Wolverhampton. It has also just passed the crossover and the gates to the depot are just behind although there are no trams visible this time. This image was captured on 21st March 2025. (Both Photographs by Gareth Prior)