Passengers on board the West Midlands Metro will be able to travel back in time until the end of October. No, the T69s aren\u2019t being rescued from the scrapman and re-entering service to replace the CAF built trams, but a new 360 mobile experience is being introduced as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Time Travel Tram uses cutting edge technology to transform an everyday tram journey into an exciting, shared experience that can be enjoyed by anyone with a smartphone and headphones on any tram travelling between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.<\/p>\n
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Time Travel Tram can be accessed by scanning a QR code available on board the trams. It invites people and places that moulded Birmingham and the Black Country into the vibrant and industrious place it is today.<\/p>\n
There are five chapters \u2013 which can be viewed in any order \u2013 which explore everything from weird and wonderful pastimes of West Midlanders in Blowing Off Steam to the frolics and fashion of the past in Spirit of Youth. It covers 300 million years from pre-historic forests, fires and factories to the birthplace of the industrial revolution.<\/p>\n
It has been created by immersive media specialists Surfing Lightbeams and Crossover Labs using archive film, photographs and objects combined with 3D generated worlds. It also accompanied by an original soundtrack composed by local artists.<\/p>\n
Harmeet Chagger-Khan of Surfing Light Beams said: \u201cOur ambition for Time Travel Tram was to catapult living history into the 21st<\/sup> Century and to transform an everyday tram journey into an incredible shared immersive experience. For the price of a regular tram ticket anyone can enjoy our virtual tram experience and be transported back into the past of Birmingham and the Black Country. We\u2019ve enjoyed delving into the past and can\u2019t wait for people to start enjoying Time Travel Tram on their journeys.\u201d<\/p>\n Can\u2019t get to Birmingham and want to enjoy the experience? Then you can! It will also be available remotely to anyone with a mobile device, VR headset or on a computer. The website is http:\/\/www.timetraveltram.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n Time Travel Tram has changed from the original project conceived as initially it would have seen a single tram used as an immersive experience. This would have seen the front carriage of a tram turned into a giant VR headset by using specially modified transparent LCD screens synched to the real-world using GPS. But following the withdrawal of the trams for repairs the project was realigned to the one you see today.<\/p>\n Sophie Allison, Interim Managing Director of West Midlands Metro, said: \u201cWe are delighted that Time Travel Tram will be available across the West Midlands Metro to passengers during the Commonwealth Games and beyond. Although we are unable to proceed with the project as originally planned the adapted experience means that even more travellers will now be able to enjoy Time Travel Tram via their mobile devices across the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n Time Travel Tram is presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival with generous support from Arts Council England and the National Heritage Lottery Fund.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Passengers on board the West Midlands Metro will be able to travel back in time until the end of October. No, the T69s aren\u2019t being rescued from the scrapman and re-entering service to replace the CAF built trams, but a … Continue reading