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Midland Metro
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The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram system in the West Midlands of England.
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Encyclopedia
The Midland Metro is a light-rail or tram system in the West Midlands of England. At present it consists of one line running between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton via West Bromwich and Wednesbury.
It is owned and promoted by the public transport body Centro, but operated by a subsidiary of the National Express Group (NEG) under the name Travel Midland Metro (TMM).
Midland Metro carries about five million passengers annually, about one third of that predicted by Centro in the planning stage.
History
In the mid 1980s (after a brief experiment with guided buses) the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive planned a tram line between Five Ways, just west of Birmingham city centre, and the Clock Garage, in the eastern suburbs. The Clock Garage line would have involved large scale property demolition, and was to have been the first of a series of tramways known as the 'Light Rail Transit' system. However, sustained public opposition led to its abandonment before construction had started.
Following the establishment of a new Passenger Transport Authority in 1986, the project was revived under the name 'Midland Metro'. To reduce opposition, Midland Metro Line 1 would not require large scale demolition, as it would link Birmingham and Wolverhampton using the course of an abandoned railway for most of its length. It was thought that Parliamentary approval and funding for demolition-intensive routes would be easier after approval and funding for Line 1 was in place.
The Clock Garage line was subsequently revived in modified form (still requiring extensive demolition) as Midland Metro Line 2, with a new eastern terminus in Chelmsley Wood. The Act of Parliament for Line 1 received Royal Assent in November 1989. In April 1990, an application for funding under Section 56 of the Transport Act 1968 was made, and £1.5 million was granted to the project. It was announced in March 1992 that a further £3 million was to be granted by central government, increasing the funding total to £4.5 million.
In September 1991, proposals were published to extend Line 1 to the Bullring shopping centre and build Line 2. WMPTE's efforts to secure Parliamentary approval for Line 2 included providing free trips to Grenoble for MPs through the lobbying firm Ian Greer Associates. The PTE Director General, Robert J Tarr, stated that there would be full consultation, but the Executive decided to use obscure Parliamentary procedure to try to stop people objecting. In spite of these measures, public opposition eventually forced the abandonment of Line 2 and Line 3 (intended to run between Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, and Merry Hill).
Consultants for the project have included WS Atkins, Kennedy Henderson, and Maunsells.
Routes
Line 1, the 12½ mile (20.2 km) Birmingham to Wolverhampton route, was opened on 31 May 1999, and runs mostly along the trackbed of the former Great Western Railway line between the two cities, which closed to passenger trains in 1972.
At the southern end, the terminus is Birmingham Snow Hill station in Birmingham city centre. At the northern end, trams move off the former railway formation to run along streets to a terminus at St Georges in Wolverhampton city centre.
The depot, located near Wednesbury, Great Western Street tram stop, occupies land once used as railway sidings.
A contract covering construction and operation of this line was awarded to a consortium known as Altram in August 1995. Construction began three months later, with a targeted completion date of August 1998. This was missed by nine months, which should have led to compensation being paid by Altram. Details of any payments made are not known.
The outturn cost of Line 1 is also not known. In 1990 David Gilroy Bevan, a prominent supporter of Midland Metro, told Parliament that it would cost £60 million. Centro stated that it cost £145 million at 1995 prices, but this does not take account of items (such as a wheel lathe) which were deleted to reduce the headline sum.
At the time of Line 1's opening, Altram was a for-profit company owned by Laing, Ansaldo, and West Midlands Travel. Soon after opening, it became evident that Metro operating revenues would not cover costs. Ansaldo and Laing sought an exit, which was agreed some years later. Day-to-day operation of Metro is in the hands of TMM, with losses largely covered by cross subsidies from other parts of National Express's business.
NEG is supposedly responsible for Midland Metro losses until 2019. However, Centro intends to re-franchise operation well before that date, as part of the 'Phase One' expansion. At a result, responsibility for future losses would transfer from NEG to the public purse.
Phase One Expansion
Although patronage is much lower than was anticipated by Centro, Metro expansion remains central to its strategy. In 2006 Councillor Gary Clarke, chairman of Centro-PTA, stated that Metro would "make a real impact on our campaign to cut congestion for everyone". However, evidence from Line 1 does not support this view: less than twenty per cent of journeys were previously made by car, there has been no noticeable relief of the adjacent A41 Birmingham to Wolverhampton road, and trams account for less than 2 per cent of journeys made by public transport in the West Midlands.
Centro has been seeking government funding for its Phase One expansion, comprising the 2.8km Birmingham City Centre Extension (through Birmingham city centre linking Snow Hill, Birmingham New Street Station, and Five Ways), and the 11km Brierley Hill Extension (a branch off Line 1, from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill town centre). An order authorising the City Centre Extension was made in July 2005.
Line One (Birmingham City Centre) Extension
In 2005, Centro claimed that the City Centre Extension would cost £72 million, but a more recent estimate is £180 million.
Birmingham City Council's support has been less than consistent. At times it has favoured building Midland Metro in tunnel in the city centre and there has been uncertainty about the route itself.
Centro's public position remains supportive of a street tramway to Edgbaston Shopping Centre, Five Ways (13 minutes from Snow Hill). At points such as Suffolk Queensway, trams would go over the road on a bridge. As part of a land redevelopment adjacent to Snow Hill Station, part of a viaduct has been constructed to carry the line from the current alignment into the streets.
Line Two (Wednesbury - Brierley Hill)
In December 2000 the capital cost of the Brierley Hill Extension was stated as £114.1 million in 1999 prices. A Centro news release in March 2005 gave the cost as £139 million, but the following year the estimate had nearly doubled, to £268 million.
Some preliminary work was done in 2005-2006, with the reconstruction of the 50-year-old Tipton Road overbridge in Dudley.
To avoid a "a reputational risk for Centro", its Director General, Geoff Inskip, proposed spending nearly £2 million on land for a car park at Dudley Port.
Where it is proposed to leave line 1 in Wednesbury, line 2 would follow the disused South Staffordshire Line, which closed in 1993, through Sandwell to Dudley.
After using the railway corridor to Dudley, Metro would run on-street in the town centre before using a route alongside the Dudley Southern Bypass to again access the existing railway corridor. It would pass through industrial and residential areas, reaching the Waterfront/Merry Hill area and Brierley Hill. The intended start of service date at one point was 2011.
Centro have stated Line 2 would offer 10 trams per hour, alternately serving Wolverhampton and Birmingham. Journey time from Brierley Hill to West Bromwich was stated as 31 minutes.
Phase Two Expansion
Other Metro proposals have been made by Centro at various times, including the following.
Birmingham city centre to Great Barr
A 10km, 17-stop route planned from the City Centre through Lancaster Circus and along the A34 corridor to the Birmingham/Walsall boundary area, terminating near the M6 motorway junction 7.
Birmingham city centre to Quinton
A 7.5km route planned to run from the Birmingham City Centre Extension terminus at Five Ways along the Hagley Road to Quinton.
Birmingham city centre to Birmingham International Airport
A 14km route from Birmingham International Airport/ NEC and serving suburbs along the A45 road. Journey time from central Birmingham (Bull Street) to 'the Airport' was estimated at 29 minutes but the route map shows a terminus about 600 metres away, adjacent to Birmingham International railway station. Journey time by tram from the city centre to the Airport check-in would be similar to existing bus services, but not competitive with the rail service, as Birmingham International is only 10 minutes by train from central Birmingham.
Wolverhampton, Wednesfield, Willenhall, Walsall and Wednesbury
This 20.4-km route, called "5Ws" by Centro, would connect the towns of Wolverhampton, Wednesfield, Willenhall, Walsall and Wednesbury, as well as providing direct access to New Cross and Manor Hospitals.
Wolverhampton city centre loop
A short loop extension to Line 1 serving Wolverhampton's bus and railway stations.
Current situation
Any expansion is currently on hold due to very large cost escalations encountered in British light rail projects, and doubts about economic and transport benefits.
Recruitment of a 'director' to look for ways of funding Midland Metro expansion was abandoned in January 2009. The job holder would have been paid £100,000 per annum by Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, and Dudley councils, and Centro.
Birmingham councillor Len Gregory said he would be prepared to "look seriously" at a proposal for an elevated monorail between New Street station and the Airport, instead of a Midland Metro line. Birmingham City Council's lead member on Centro, Councillor Len Clark, said he was "excited" by the Metrail AG monorail put forward by 'Birmingham Business Focus' (BBF). He thought that it would not take up as much space as a tramway, and would be less expensive. BBF director Neil Maybury envisaged monorails running along most of Birmingham's arterial roads.
Vehicles and services
Metro operates a fleet of 16 T69 articulated two-section trams, which were built by Ansaldobreda, S.P.A. in Italy. Numbered 01-16, they have a top speed of 43 mph (70 km/h). Each tram has three entrances on each side, and 56 seats. Only the centre portion is wheelchair accessible. Carriage of bicycles is not permitted.
The trams are driven manually under signals. Safety equipment includes a dead man's handle.
Weekday services run at eight-minute intervals, with a longer weekend and evening spacing. There is no service in the small hours of the morning.
Reliability figures quoted by Travel Midland Metro relate to the 8-minute frequency, rather than the 6 minute all-day interval promised by Centro in the planning stage (and never achieved).
The fare scale was originally intended to be broadly comparable with buses, but this proved to be unfinanceable. In July 2008, the adult single fare from Birmingham to Wolverhampton was £1.50 by bus, and £2.50 by tram.
List of Trams
Centro are planning to replace the entire tram fleet after less than 12 years of use (vehicles on other systems generally have a life of 30 to 50 years). In 2002 Andrew Steele, general manager of Midland Metro, said the Ansaldo trams were "crap", and had wiring like "plates of spaghetti".
Technical data
Tramway signals
Image:Tramway signalling - Proceed.png|Proceed.
Image:Tramway signalling - Stop.png|Stop.
Image:Tramway signalling - Caution.png|Caution and proceed.
Image:Tramway signalling - Turning left.png|Turning left and proceed.
Image:Tramway signalling - Turning right.png|Turning right and proceed.
Accidents and incidents
There have been several instances of trams colliding with road vehicles at crossings, and on the Wolverhampton street section. There has also been at least one collision between trams. Technical and maintenance failures, and vandalism, have led to many service disruptions. One of the most notable incidents took place in the summer of 2001, when electrocution risks forced closure of the Wolverhampton section.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch have a statutory responsibility to investigate any accident or dangerous occurrence.
Criminal activity was not effectively planned for during Metro construction. High levels of crime led to the removal of ticket machines from tram stops, and the retrofitting of closed circuit television to trams.
People living near Line 1 have attempted to obtain compensation for noise, vibration, and antisocial behaviour, but have received nothing.
Policing is the responsibility of the British Transport Police in Wednesbury.
Publications
Midland Metro's customer publication is called Tram Lines.
Metro Pub Crawl
The publication of a Good Pubs Guide by Midland Metro has lead to some people (notably students) using the tram for a pub crawl starting at one end and winding their way down the line to the other, stopping off at pubs along the way, in a similar fashion to both the Sub-crawl in Glasgow (using the Glasgow Subway) or London's Circle line crawl.
See also
External links
- - includes details of future extensions
- - Line One Station Locations Map - Google Maps
- - useful information
- - Critical website
- (Requires ) from the Google Earth Community forum.
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