Express & Star

West Midlands Tram drivers are the best in Britain - it's official

Two members of the West Midlands Metro team are celebrating this week after making an impressive debut at a prestigious event.

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Outscoring fellow tram drivers from Edinburgh and Dublin, West Midlands Metro tram drivers Jasbir Kaur, from Wolverhampton and Dawid Osika, from Wednesbury, were the highest-place competitors from the UK and Ireland at the European Tram Driver Championships in Frankfurt.

After travelling the country, the dynamic duo faced a variety of challenges, including testing of reactions by bringing the tram to a precise emergency halt and where drivers must skilfully stop and start the tram whilst preserving the levels of fluids in an attached water bowl.

With 26 drivers from across Europe taking part, Jasbir and Dawid faced off to the stiff competition from networks across Europe, coming in 14th place overall.

Jasbir Kaur and Dawid Osika standing by Ozzy the bull in Birmingham New Street

Anthony Stanley, West Midlands Metro interim head of operations, said: "This was the first time they have entered the championship, and finishing mid-table against teams with far greater competition experience was a fantastic effort from Jasbir and Dawid,

"We take great pride in the skills of all our drivers, who are trained to the highest standards, and the competition provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents and raise the profile of West Midlands Metro."

The competition was won by a team from Budapest, with a full list of the winners available on the tram-em website.

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