West Midlands Metro - News & Discussion

[djox]

A new video has been uploaded which shows construction and progress of West Midlands metro in Dudley, Dudley Castle and Great bridge areas, the video author things it could be open as early as Easter

I watched the video and looks like good progress but still construction work ongoing, so Easter is optimistic even summer. I don't know how much and how long all the safety checks that need to be done after construction take?

 

[daveid]

Podbaba has been overly optimistic but the doubting Thomases have been proven right again and again. The same equation is applicable to all UK light rail schemes: take the original scheme length and planned year of completion then subtract half the length whilst adding four/five years. During which time France will have planned and constructed ten light rail extensions.

 

[spp]

I watched the video and looks like good progress but still construction work ongoing, so Easter is optimistic even summer. I don't know how much and how long all the safety checks that need to be done after construction take?

The actual construction work was the Dudley/Merry Hill part. It’s only the Wednesbury/Dudley section thats opening anytime soon.

According to the local rag today it will be August 28th

Metro opening date for Dudley extension is finally revealed - and it will be more than two years late

The Midlands Metro tramline will open for passengers in Dudley at the end of August - more than two years late.

www.expressandstar.com

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jan 2026 ==

This has to be the model for rail infrastructure going forward, I just don't understand how its possible to be so slow when obliviously they can do it in a matter of months when network rail beurocracy isn't part of the process

What part has been done in ‘a matter of months’. Theres been various additional delays and increases in cost on all the metro extensions. It should be the model for nothing!

 

[Alasdair Clift]

I visited Albert Street and Millennium Point tram stops tonight and saw this diagram at the latter. Interestingly the split between the Brierley Hill and Wolverhampton sections is depicted the wrong way round.

Just walked past Town Hall tram stop which seems to have had its map over the ticket machine updated to match

 

[spp]

They’ve stopped using St George’s again as of last week. Not sure why

 

[splashoutradio]

Don't suppose anyone local knows if St. George's is open again? The website seems to suggest it isn't, but timetable data suggests it is.

 

[spp]

Don't suppose anyone local knows if St. George's is open again? The website seems to suggest it isn't, but timetable data suggests it is.

It’s isn’t, hasn’t been for a few weeks now.

The online journey planner and even the display boards at the stations say it is but it’s not (confirmed by them most days on x).

The display boards are always incorrect. For example the other day trams were only running to the royal due to ‘engineering works’ but the automated ‘the next tram is for’ and display boards still showed Wolverhampton Station/Wolverhampton St George’s. It’s like they can’t change either but they definitely used to be able to.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Mar 2026 ==

Don't suppose anyone local knows if St. George's is open again? The website seems to suggest it isn't, but timetable data suggests it is.

Just announced on x St George’s starting to be used again from tomorrow (loads of notice they give). Between 7am and 7pm Monday to Saturday only (ie when the trams are running the more frequent timetable).

I just hope common sense prevails and they start display thr next tram from each of the 3 Wolverhampton options. Most people in their right mind would happily walk from Pipers Row to St George’s if it meant waiting 8 minutes less.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Mar 2026 ==

Driver training for the partial Birmingham Eastside route to commence from next Monday (16th).

Trams from Wolverhampton Station will run current full route to Edgbaston Village as normal. Trams from Wolverhampton St Georges will run as far as Bull Street unload then run passenger less along new route (for training) turn back and pick passengers back up at corporation street to then carry on to Edgbaston Village.

Link:

Birmingham Eastside extension open - West Midlands Metro

We’re pleased to confirm that driver familiarisation for BEE is now underway, ahead of the upcoming opening of our new stops at Albert Street and Millennium Point in the coming weeks.

www.westmidlandsmetro.com

 

[probbers]

With the junction between the existing line and the Merry Hill line being so close to Wednesbury, I feel like they've missed a big opportunity by not moving Gt Western St 100 metres up the line and constructing a bit of an Wednesbury Interchange stop to able to switch between the lines. Seems strange that if you're coming from Birmingham or Dudley, only half the trams will actually stop in Wednesbury, and Black Lake to Great Bridge seems like a huge distance between stops.

 

[Snow1964]

Extract from today's 6 monthly HS2 update, looking like Eastside tram extension under Curzon Street can start construction in 6 months time

At Birmingham Curzon Street Station, the last of the 2,011 concrete piles, which form a key part of the foundation for the station, were completed in March. Work on the infrastructure required for the Midland Metro Alliance to deliver the Birmingham Eastside tram extension is progressing well, ahead of the first phased handover of the site to Transport for West Midlands in September 2026. HS2Ltd and the Midland Metro Alliance are leading workshops over the future operation of the live tram through the Curzon Street site to maintain a collaborative approach and ensure lessons continue to be learnt as delivery progresses.

HS2 6-monthly report to Parliament: March 2026

Review of High Speed Two (HS2) including: update on the programme reset, delivery progress, community impacts, land and property.

www.gov.uk

 

[Cross City]

Excellent news

 

[Sunil_P]

Do we know when the completed section of Eastside is opening?

 

[spp]

Do we know when the completed section of Eastside is opening?

No official update yet. They are currently running trams to regularly but without passengers just for driver familiarisation.

 

[Snow1964]

Do we know when the completed section of Eastside is opening?

deleted, no date yet

 

[furgus2]

deleted, no date yet

I’ve just received an email from West Midlands Metro stating:

Albert Street and Millennium Point to open on Sunday, 5 April
We’re pleased to announce that from Sunday 5 April, we will be welcoming customers on board at our two new stops, Albert Street and Millennium Point, as Birmingham Eastside becomes part of the Metro network.
These new stops unlock even more of the city, making travel smoother and more connected for customers heading to work, study or days out. This marks another important step in the expansion of our network, with more to come as the Birmingham Eastside extension progresses.

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Do we know the service pattern? Will it be Trams from Wolves St Georges going to Millenium Point, reverse then Edgbaston, with those from Wolves Station going direct to Edgbaston?

 

[spp]

Do we know the service pattern? Will it be Trams from Wolves St Georges going to Millenium Point, reverse then Edgbaston, with those from Wolves Station going direct to Edgbaston?

Looking at the timetable thats what it seems.

St George’s run to Edgbaston via Albert Street, Millenium Point, Albert Street again then back onto Corporation street and normal route. Wolves Station departures run current route cutting out Albert Street and Millenium Point.

I do wonder how they’ll differentiate on the destination boards with both terminating at Edgbaston Village.

 

[The Pelican]

I'm glad to see it will include service on the Albert Street-Corporation Street (Edgbaston) side of the triangle. I hope the single reversing platform at Millenium Point will be enough to cope with trams reversing in both directions!

 

[spp]

I'm glad to see it will include service on the Albert Street-Corporation Street (Edgbaston) side of the triangle. I hope the single reversing platform at Millenium Point will be enough to cope with trams reversing in both directions!

I guess that will be the question. They have been running like that for a few weeks now (just without passengers for the two new stops).

That service is every 15 mins, with the older route also being every 15. In theory it should mean a 7/8min service for the majority of the route but I’d say over the past few weeks of using it daily while I’m seeing 1-2min waits every other trip where St George’s trams are literally following Wolverhampton Station trams or vice versa (the board often indicates the same time but obviously then changes as they hold one up).

 

[Sunil_P]

Looks like the connection from Bull Street to Albert Street is available eastbound only, and the connection from Albert St to Corporation St available only towards Edgbaston.

 

[dvboy]

Hopefully they'll show as terminating at Millennium Point, since if you want to go to Edgbaston Village it'll be quicker to wait for the next one.

 

[VT 390]

The timetable on the West Midland Metro website only shows the new stops served by trams in the Wolverhampton St Georges to Edgbaston Village direction only, in the other direction the new stops are not even listed and is only scheduled for 1 minute Corporation Street to Bull Street.
Is this the correct service pattern or is the timetable incorrect?

 

[spp]

Hopefully they'll show as terminating at Millennium Point, since if you want to go to Edgbaston Village it'll be quicker to wait for the next one.

True but that would then be confusing as what if your destination was Broad Street or Library for example. If unknowing you might wait for an Edgbaston Village displayed tram when in reality the Millennium Point one carry’s on there.

 

[dvboy]

True but that would then be confusing as what if your destination was Broad Street or Library for example. If unknowing you might wait for an Edgbaston Village displayed tram when in reality the Millennium Point one carry’s on there.

You'd get there quicker waiting for an Edgbaston Village tram.

 

[barbette165]

The timetable as published on the website is quite poor in the southbound direction. The daytime weekday pattern has intervals between trams on The Royal to Bull Street section of 4 then 11 minutes. In the evening this becomes 5 minutes and then 25 minutes. On Sundays daytimes the intervals are 5 and 19 minutes. It reminds me of the early timetables that were introduced in Blackpool when the extension to North Station opened.

Trams are evenly spaced between Corporation Street & Edgbaston Village and the full length northbound.

 

[danshrimp]

They've said on X that "for trams to the new stops the information boards will say Edgbaston Village via Millennium Point".

I suppose once people have experienced the slow trundle to Millennium Point and back once they'll quickly learn to skip it next time around... (But as someone who lives at the end of the new extension this is very exciting news!)

 

[spp]

You'd get there quicker waiting for an Edgbaston Village tram.

Really? How long is it taking to loop round a couple of extra stops I could walk between in 5 minutes.

I still think it would be much simpler running in the same way the split in Wolverhampton does. One one way one another.

I do wish they’d concentrate on the state of the current trams to be honest. Pretty much 1 in every 4 of my journeys is on a tram with an out of use door at the minute. Last week I was one one with two out of use doors (same side too). Luckily my journey wasn’t on a busy part of the route but dread to think what that was like when it reached Birmingham around rush hour!

 

[barbette165]

Really? How long is it taking to loop round a couple of extra stops I could walk between in 5 minutes.

During the day, the Millennium Point tram leaves Bull Street four minutes before the tram direct to Edgbaston Village. It arrives at Corporation Street 8 minutes after it. Part of this seems to be allowing 5 minutes to change direction at Millennium Point - there are 6 minutes between the Albert Street and Millennium Point departures, but then it departs Albert Street again only 1 minute later.

 

[spp]

During the day, the Millennium Point tram leaves Bull Street four minutes before the tram direct to Edgbaston Village. It arrives at Corporation Street 8 minutes after it. Part of this seems to be allowing 5 minutes to change direction at Millennium Point - there are 6 minutes between the Albert Street and Millennium Point departures, but then it departs Albert Street again only 1 minute later.

I see, so this will be the reason the trams have been so hit and miss lately even in the main part of the route. Sometimes you get a 1 minute wait between two trams (which is great) but then other times (during peak times so should be 7-8mins) you’re waiting 14-15 mins.

Seems like a poorer service for the vast majority just for a couple of extra stops most people could walk to anyway.

They need to reduce the use of these two new stops and St George’s to maintain a better service for the majority. Absolutely no reason to serve St George’s (and now Albert street/Millenium Point) as frequently as they serve Pipers Row/Wolvo Station or Grand Central (directly).

 

[Kite159]

I guess the timetable for those 2 new stops is only going to be temporary until more of the line gets built, whenever that will happen.

 

[VT 390]

I guess the timetable for those 2 new stops is only going to be temporary until more of the line gets built, whenever that will happen.

There is also the Dudley extension which I believe is planned to open in later this year and those trams will need to go somewhere in Birmingham city centre.