Tram services between Wednesbury and Edgbaston Village are on track to resume next Wednesday (April 10) as work on a new junction nears completion.
West Midlands Metro (WMM) customers will also benefit from an enhanced timetable with trams operating every eight minutes.
The work on the Delta junction, which will connect the existing network with a new line to Dudley, started shortly before Easter, marking another milestone in the expansion of the tramway.
The complex infrastructure, which will allow passengers to travel seamlessly between Dudley, Wolverhampton and Birmingham once the new route is operational, has been successfully connected. The next few days will see overhead lines re-installed and important testing and commissioning taking place across the weekend and early next week.
Sophie Allison, WMM Managing Director, explained: “We understand the impact it has had on existing customers over the past few weeks. Every effort has been made to minimise inconvenience, and we would like to thank them for their continued understanding and patience, particularly as there will be some late-night disruption on some days over the next six weeks as Sandwell Council completes the rebuilding of Dudley Street bridge.”
Reconstruction work on the bridge, which was demolished over Easter, will see services between Wednesbury and Edgbaston Village operate until 8.00 pm to ensure the safety of workers. Customers can find additional service details here.
Sophie added: “We understand this work is also progressing well. In the meantime, customers are advised to follow our social media channels for updates on works happening on the network, to services, and details of alternative travel.”
The new delta junction, which stands over 6.2m tall, is being delivered by the Midland Metro Alliance (MMA), the organisation designing and delivering Metro extensions on behalf of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM). During the 18-day activities, teams have completed a number of activities, including excavating the track bed, removing existing rails and replacing them by lowering pieces of the new switch and crossing into place via a huge crane, which dominated the Wednesbury skyline for the ten days of the programme.
Tom Maplethorpe, Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension Project Director at MMA, commented: “The installation of the delta junction has gone smoothly and we thank Metro users for their patience as our team completed the works. With this activity about to wrap up, our teams will turn their attention to installing track within the former railway corridor throughout the spring.”