Tram drivers to begin training along new £50 million Wolverhampton Metro link with services to start in 'coming weeks'
Tram drivers will begin their training along the new Wolverhampton Metro extension line after the route was handed over to the operator.
The £50 million Metro link from St George’s down Pipers Row to Railway Plaza was formally handed over to Midland Metro Limited today.
The long-awaited milestone means that tram drivers will begin physical training on the new 720 metre route, following intensive simulator activity at the Metro depot in Wednesbury.
Passenger services are set to begin in the coming weeks, marking an end to the project which was meant to be completed in 2020 but has been beset by budget rises and delays.
The route has been designed and constructed by the Midland Metro Alliance, on behalf of Transport for West Midlands.
Laura Shoaf, chief executive of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which owns West Midlands Metro, said: “This handover marks the end of main construction and means we are ready to start driver training to prepare for the start of passenger Metro services to Wolverhampton Railway Station.
"Wolverhampton is now a better-connected city with the bus station, railway station and now Metro together in one location to provide accessible and seamless links across the region and beyond.
