Black Country tram fleet set to treble in size with 50 new additions
Up to 50 more battery-powered trams are to be added to the Black Country's fleet in a major overhaul which is expected to more than treble the fleet, it has emerged.
The UK’s first battery-powered tram was launched in Wednesbury in April by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
Now Transport for West Midlands(TfWM) is looking to increase its fleet from it current 21 trams to 71 to service its expanding network.
Bosses say it will mean more stops and a more frequent service.
TfWM, part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, is tendering initially for 18 new trams, with the option to buy a further 32 in future – all of which can be powered by batteries.
Extensions to the tram network are at the heart of a £3.4billion investment in West Midlands transport over the next decade. This will include new suburban rail lines, cycle routes and motorway improvements in order to maximise the economic benefits of the HS2 high speed rail line.
Councillor Roger Lawrence, leader of Wolverhampton City Council and transport boss on the Combined Authority, said the West Midlands was 'leading the way' on sustainable public transport in the country.
He added: "We launched the UK’s first battery-powered tram earlier this year, and now we’re adding more to the network.
"We had to wait for the technology to catch up with our ambition – so we will retro-fit all our existing trams with batteries too," said Councillor Lawrence.
"Eventually, this tender could treble the amount of trams operating on our network – potentially increasing our regional fleet from 21 to 71 trams - meaning more services and more stops as we extend the tram network for passengers across the West Midlands."
Extension
The new trams will provide services on a number of forthcoming extensions to the network which runs between Wolverhampton St George’s and Birmingham Grand Central.
The planned extensions include from Wednesbury to Dudley to Brierley Hill, connecting to the existing line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, and also the Pipers Row extension in Wolverhampton, between the bus station and redeveloped railway station.
In Birmingham, the extensions involve Westside, running from Birmingham Grand Central to Edgbaston, serving the Town Hall, Centenary Square, Brindley Place and Broad Street, and also Eastside, connecting to the Birmingham Curzon HS2 station in Eastside, then on through Digbeth and north Solihull to the airport/HS2 Interchange.
The existing trams are being retro-fitted with batteries in a rolling programme designed to avoid passenger disruption.
The battery technology removes the need for overhead electrical wires which means trams will be able to travel underneath the Five Ways roundabout and the new Curzon St station in Birmingham.
TfWM is looking to appoint suppliers with tried and tested tram fleets in operation elsewhere in the world. Once the contract is awarded, around May 2019, there will be a two-year design and development process.
The first of the new trams are expected to be in action by summer 2021.
