More passengers than ever before - Midland Metro
More people than ever are using Midland Metro, with passenger satisfaction also hitting a new high, according to latest figures from the Department of Transport.
The Metro line, which runs from St Georges in Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street, was used by passengers on 6.2 million occasions for the financial year 2016/17.
This is an increase of 29 per cent on the previous year.
It meant revenue from passengers went up to £10.3m - up 17.6 per cent.
The report also revealed journey satisfaction was 92 per cent, up 11 per cent.
The figures show that overall, nationally, more people are using light rail.
Across England, there were 267m passenger journeys, up 6.2 per cent.
The most popular light railway is the Docklands Light Railway in London, followed by the Manchester Metrolink and then the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The latest figures will breathe confidence for Midland Metro bosses, who are preparing for an extension line from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill.
Last month, the plans for the extension, which will cost £200m, was approved by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
The seven-mile line will run along part of the former South Staffordshire railway from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill town centre with 17 stops, including at the DY5 Enterprise Zone at the Waterfront, Merry Hill shopping centre, Dudley bus station, and Castle Hill for the Black Country Living Museum and Dudley Zoo and Castle.
Construction on the extension is set to start in 2019 with the line opening to passengers in 2023.
Work will also be done to extend the line from St Georges to Wolverhampton railway station, with expected opening in 2019.
The extended line will be the first in the country to be catenary free, meaning it will not have overhead cables.
The trams will have batteries installed to enable them to travel short distances without power cables.
There are also plans in the pipeline to extend the Metro to the planned high-speed 2 station at Curzon Street in Birmingham.
