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Midland Metro

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baz52

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yes your right sorry, I thought they had all gone now. looks like keeping that for some reason, thank you for letting me know.
 
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WatcherZero

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4th April Centro signed a deal with CAF to purchase batteries but they wont reveal how much they are paying for them as its 'commercially sensitive'.
 

baz52

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Midland Metro tram fleet 37 now in service as posted on the britishtramsonline website, it also says that only number 17 to be commissioned now,
 

HA25322

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Midland Metro tram fleet 37 now in service as posted on the britishtramsonline website, it also says that only number 17 to be commissioned now,



d5be7bb0e3a2f29353d0fb8b008e73f2.jpg

And here it is at the end of the line at Stephenson Street during testing tonight.
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Some photos from the testing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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baz52

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thank you for post those pictures ref midland metro tests, there is also more details about the tests and other metro news and also it says the trams should start going to new street from the 22nd may all being well.
the website is britishtramsonline.co.uk
anyway its realy good news.
 

Techniquest

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Fantastic to see the photos, I've been that caught up in everything I had forgotten the testing was due :oops:

22nd May eh? Bring it on, same for the construction of the new lines. Come on Birmingham, don't fall even further behind Manchester, let's have a tram network to be proud of too!
 

HA25322

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I got up especially [emoji13] not. Just happened to be at work and noticed there was a 37 heading towards me. Spoke to one of the people in charge who was very hopeful of a 22/05 start so fingers crossed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

baz52

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yes it great to see the Midland Metro progressing well in the tram test. and looking forward to may 22nd too.
 

Robertj21a

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The opening to New Street has been postponed and all arrangements for May 22nd cancelled. It seems there are still some track problems !!
 

TH172341

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Thought they were too close to actually meeting a schedule deadline :lol:

At the conclusion of this saga there needs to be a review as to what's led to the successive delays in this project. To take upwards of 4 years to complete a 0.6 mile extension is a pretty poor endorsement for metro extensions. However I hope lessons can be rapidly learnt for the following extensions!!
 

Techniquest

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According to the piece on Midlands Today last night, which I only watched part of, there was testing due to commence around 2300 last night. Assuming that went well, driver training was due to take a week. Who knows, maybe we'll have it running before half term. In 2017!
 

Robertj21a

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Thought they were too close to actually meeting a schedule deadline :lol:

At the conclusion of this saga there needs to be a review as to what's led to the successive delays in this project. To take upwards of 4 years to complete a 0.6 mile extension is a pretty poor endorsement for metro extensions. However I hope lessons can be rapidly learnt for the following extensions!!

Completely agree. The Edinburgh fiasco was bad enough but that, eventually, appeared to come down to very poor management of the project by the council. This extension has caused major problems in the city centre for years and will do absolutely nothing to help those supporting more light rail in the UK. There needs to be a proper enquiry to identify how the project was managed and why the timescale became so ridiculous.
 

Altfish

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Completely agree. The Edinburgh fiasco was bad enough but that, eventually, appeared to come down to very poor management of the project by the council. This extension has caused major problems in the city centre for years and will do absolutely nothing to help those supporting more light rail in the UK. There needs to be a proper enquiry to identify how the project was managed and why the timescale became so ridiculous.

OK, Edinburgh and Birmingham haven't gone smoothly but already Edinburgh is beating passenger targets and the Leigh extension is on the cards again.
No mention of Manchester or Nottingham, I notice, perhaps because the extensions are going smoothly
 

Robertj21a

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OK, Edinburgh and Birmingham haven't gone smoothly but already Edinburgh is beating passenger targets and the Leigh extension is on the cards again.
No mention of Manchester or Nottingham, I notice, perhaps because the extensions are going smoothly

Nottingham was also significantly delayed.

It's not that any one specific extension may be relevant (other than to highlight project deficiencies) but more that the whole idea of the UK having the ability to create more light rail must give some of the 'anti' brigade so much amusement. What hope is there for any more significant light rail projects if such a high proportion of those completed in recent times had so many problems and delays ?
 

snowball

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baz52

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hi all , ref to the midland metro yes it was a pitty about not starting this weekend the 22nd may, as been said regarding some track problems, also been on the local tv news about it to, anyway as they said the other shouldn't be to long before the trams run into the city centre, looks like been doing some work on the track regrinding I guess , some pics about it on another website, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks or so we should begin to see the tram run via city centre.
 

edwin_m

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I'm not familiar with the background but an inspector's report and ministerial decision letter have appeared on the DfT website concerning an attempted variation in the route of the Birmingham city centre extension.

The inspector recommended that it should be rejected but the minister accepted it with modifications.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...isition-and-variation-order-inspectors-report

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ension-land-acquisition-order-decision-letter

It appears that the Inspector's grounds for recommending refusal of this Order were very largely to do with impact on heritage structures. In view of recent events in Manchester, I guess the SoS is being quite courageous in seeking to overrule these.
 
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It appears that the Inspector's grounds for recommending refusal of this Order were very largely to do with impact on heritage structures. In view of recent events in Manchester, I guess the SoS is being quite courageous in seeking to overrule these.

I guess Midland Metro's acquisition of the battery technology from the tram manufacturers will help alleviate the environmental impact? (No overhead line equipment?)

anyway as they said the other shouldn't be to long before the trams run into the city centre

The trams are actually running to New Street on driver training today, so I guess whatever work needed doing to the track was relatively minor and has been done.

Edit: Video here from the BBC's Peter Plisner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BBCPeterPlisner/status/734757867669049345


In other Metro news:

Birmingham Updates said:
Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osborne to get a Metro tram named after him.


Rock icon Ozzy Osborne is to get star billing in his native Birmingham by having a Midland Metro tram named after him.

The city’s own Prince of Darkness will be in town to meet the tram bearing his name this Thursday (26/05).

The Aston-born frontman of legendary Birmingham band Black Sabbath will be at the new Corporation Street stop at 11am.

Ozzy said: “It’s a great honour to have a new tram named after me, I’m proud to be a Brummie and this means so much.”

...

http://birminghamupdates.com/post/144807795188/prince-of-darkness-ozzy-osborne-to-get-a-metro

Because nothing's more rock and roll than a pink tram. <D
 
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Kite159

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I hope it opens this coming weekend, as driver training has begun:

http://nxbus.co.uk/the-metro/news/ozzy-osborne-to-name-midland-metro-tram/

On-street driver training between Bull Street and the Stephenson Street stop outside New Street station began today (Monday 23 May) following successful work over the weekend to correct minor alignment problems on some sections of the track.

I wonder if someone had to explain to Ozzy what a tram was :lol:
 

baz52

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yes Great to see driver training on the Midland Metro starting yesterday in the city centre, also they say they have to do 7 days training in the city centre, before can start the service to and from New Street. there was also an item about it on the local tv news last night too,
 

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childwallblues

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I guess Midland Metro's acquisition of the battery technology from the tram manufacturers will help alleviate the environmental impact? (No overhead line equipment?)



The trams are actually running to New Street on driver training today, so I guess whatever work needed doing to the track was relatively minor and has been done.

Edit: Video here from the BBC's Peter Plisner on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BBCPeterPlisner/status/734757867669049345


In other Metro news:



http://birminghamupdates.com/post/144807795188/prince-of-darkness-ozzy-osborne-to-get-a-metro

Because nothing's more rock and roll than a pink tram. <D

Tram 21 was the driver trainer at 1445.
 

Kite159

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Screw all that, debit card payments at last! Cash only on the tram was getting a bit stupid. Finally got into the 20th century. Maybe they'll even get ticket machines one day!

Give it a few years and it will probably change over to a Nottingham/Edinburgh style buy before you board system
 

Techniquest

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Does that debit card payment thing start now then? If so it's about time, and maybe Blackpool will also catch up eventually. I've not read the link Kite posted yet, but I am jealous that he'll get it done before I do. Seems to have a habit of doing that, any new track in my local area he gets before I do!
 
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