West Midlands Metro Tracklaying in Brum

[melmerby]

13 minutes ago, coline33 said:

 how is the work on the Wednesbury - Brierley Hill line going, please? 

If you go to Midland Metro Alliance on the web, all the news is there under the different project headings

e.g.

https://metroalliance.co.uk/projects/wednesbury-to-brierley-hill-extension/

[melmerby]

A bit late but the last few from the Five Ways/Hagley road works:

 

The track emerging from the underpass

There's single alternate line traffic on the north side of Haley road whilst the tram work is in place.

 

The end of the rails for now:

 

Looking back to the underpass:

 

Another view:

 

A recent pour of concrete:

 

The terminus to be, outside 54 Hagley Road  (2 views):

 

 

The terminus is outside this block seen on Google street view:

https://goo.gl/maps/QgzxeUytJAnT9T4V9

 

That's it for now.

I'll venture out again when the Hagley road section ios more advanced.

 

 

 

[Ramblin Rich]

Having backtracked from that location, Google street view are going to need to update their images! At one stage the pictures show the works outside Symphony Hall, but then go through and the road reappears....

[coline33]

School half-term in Croydon, so 1998 British Steel rolled grooved track being replaced in Cairo New Road.   So we see above the track bed for rail that will have to be replaced in 25 years time.

[melmerby]

On 28/10/2020 at 13:30, Ramblin Rich said:

Having backtracked from that location, Google street view are going to need to update their images! At one stage the pictures show the works outside Symphony Hall, but then go through and the road reappears....

I suppose it's a bit difficult getting updated images when there is no access.

A run along the full length of the works will probably be the order of the day once they can.

I've actually seen a Google car a couple of times (not on Broad Street) but they also use lesser transport if cars are prohibited but e.g. a cycle can be used.

Edited October 30, 2020 by melmerby

[martin_wynne]

46 minutes ago, melmerby said:

I've actually seen a Google car a couple of times (not on Broad Street) but they also use lesser transport if cars are prohibited but e.g. a cycle can be used.

 

 

Anyone can become a StreetView contributor on foot, bike or boat if you have the right equipment:

 

 

 https://www.google.com/streetview/contributors/

 

Martin.

Edited October 30, 2020 by martin_wynne

[melmerby]

8 hours ago, martin_wynne said:

 

Anyone can become a StreetView contributor on foot, bike or boat if you have the right equipment:

 

 

 https://www.google.com/streetview/contributors/

 

Martin.

Unfortunately a lot of those user submitted 360s are incorrectly located, some by some considerable distance.

IMHO Some are just plain rubbish and should be removed.

[melmerby]

An update from Thursday 10th December

 

View from current terminus showing state of blockwork to date:

 

Looking back across road to Bridge Street

 

State of work alongside the ICC:

 

As part of tramworks the pavements are also getting a makeover

(Side exit of ICC):

I wonder how the walk of stars will be re-created?

 

Looking back to current terminus with the Soloman Cutler (Lloyd's) to the right

(Tram just arrived at terminus):

 

From the same position looking towards Fiveways with the Brasshouse & Black Sabbath bridge in the centre:

 

Looking back towards the Terminus, with the ICC dominant::

 

Looking towards where the rails end at Gas Street:

 

View from Gas Street showing this short bit of Broad Street that hasn't yet got any visible rails, which start again by the tipper truck.

There are probably some under most of this tarmac, as this is a temporary surface to allow access,

See previous photo where the finished track just disappears under the tarmac:

 

 

Again towards Five ways where the rails start again:

 

 

From the other end of that section looking back to ICC:

 

From the same position towards Five ways

Beyond this section being worked on the track is more or less complete with the OHE poles now very obvious and the tramstops taking shape:

For some reason there were two fences here about a metre apart, which meant you couldn't poke a lens through the gaps!

Edited December 18, 2020 by melmerby

[ianathompson]

Just caught up with this topic and found it fascinating.

 

I was an undergrad at Birningham Uni in the seventies and then spent three years there as a post grad. 

There was not even the University station when I was an U/G. 

It felt like the height of luxury to be able to catch a train to Lichfield and listen to evensong as a P/G.

 

I recognise one or two landmarks in the photos but much has changed.

I might even be tempted to return for a day out having seen the developments!

 

Thanks for the photographs.

 

Ian T

[melmerby]

Reading the latest newsletter it seems the Westside Extension tracklaying has been completed to Five Ways underpass with the road surface fully re-instated.

 

westsideweekly125.pdf.pagespeed.ce.i7hXGykbSP.pdf

 

[coline33]

Lovely background view of the tracks to Five Ways in the ITV News Covid update from Birmingham in the 1.30pm edition today.

[melmerby]

49 minutes ago, coline33 said:

Lovely background view of the tracks to Five Ways in the ITV News Covid update from Birmingham in the 1.30pm edition today.

The beeb featured progress on the Wednesbury - Merry Hill works, with a visualisation of the route through Dudley town centre on Midlands Today a couple of nights back.

[Siberian Snooper]

Is there an opening date for the extension to 5 Ways? Not that there's not much chance of getting to Brum in the forseeable future.

 

 

[melmerby]

27 minutes ago, Siberian Snooper said:

Is there an opening date for the extension to 5 Ways? Not that there's not much chance of getting to Brum in the forseeable future.

 

 

Haven't heard one recently.

I seem to recall the end of 2020 was once quoted but they ran behind once Covid started.

I guess they will wait until the terminus is also ready, as that was proceeding somewhat later than the Broad Street works.

[coline33]

Tonight's ITV's 6.30pm News repeated the Covid presentation from the same street but in the dark!

[Northroader]

My son Wil sent me this shot taken this weekend:

[andytrains]

9 minutes ago, Northroader said:

My son Wil sent me this shot taken this weekend:

Looks a bit like Lego Land!

[melmerby]

 

40 minutes ago, andytrains said:

Looks a bit like Lego Land!

Nice new financial company headquarters office blocks.

I wonder how full they will be?

 

Like many big cities in the UK there was a building boom going on pre-Covid, with lots of new office blocks and upmarket city centre flats. (Like the Moda on Broad Street with the webcam)

It'll be interesting to see how it all pans out.

[TT-Pete]

2 hours ago, Northroader said:

My son Wil sent me this shot taken this weekend:

 

 

Is that bloke having a wee?!

[wagonbasher]

There is movement at the other end….  I am back in the office in Wolverhampton a few days a week.  I work in i10 (interchange 10) a relatively new office block that sits behind the LNWR station arch and adjacent to station road, the road that leads to Wolverhampton station.  For the last 2 years construction has continued on the i9, across the road from the i10 and adjacent to the Chubb building.  Yesterday there was some sort of shift from construction to fit out, lots of jet washing, cleaning and people without hi viz and bump hats coming and going.  The design of the i9 is a red brick triangular design which is clearly a nod to the Chubb building.  Apparently the government housing department is being moved out of London to Wolves and this is their new home.

 

anyway, from my elevated position I saw a flat bed vehicle with mounted crane reversed passed flashing and beeping and full of tram sleepers.  Now worked stopped on the tram lines just after the bridge that spans the ring road. About 100 yards short of the station building.  I think the project was meant to get to that point and then wait for the construction of the new station building and maybe the i9 to complete.  I can see they have laid the concrete foundation for the track bed and it curves around in front of the station.

 

I will keep you posted.

 

Andy

[melmerby]

Time for another trip to Wolves by the sound of it, as well as getting back up Broad Street.

 

BTW there is a separate topic for the Wolverhampton end although I haven't updated it since the start of the station rebuild:

 

[wagonbasher]

55 minutes ago, melmerby said:

Time for another trip to Wolves by the sound of it, as well as getting back up Broad Street.

 

BTW there is a separate topic for the Wolverhampton end although I haven't updated it since the start of the station rebuild:

 

OK I will add new posts to that.  

 

cheers

 

Andy

[ianb3174]

In Birmingham today and noticed they've dug up the tracks and road in Corporation street and the signs tell of new tram lines to Edgbaston village. Build it one end, take it up the other

[melmerby]

23 hours ago, ianb3174 said:

In Birmingham today and noticed they've dug up the tracks and road in Corporation street and the signs tell of new tram lines to Edgbaston village. Build it one end, take it up the other

Not quite what it seems.

The trams were going to be suspended for two or three months whilst the tramway junction for the Eastside extension (to the Old Crown Inn Digbeth via HS2 station) was installed, where Lower Bull Street meets the tracks at Corporation Street.

 

However it has been determined that all the trackwork from Bull Street to Stephenson Street is below standard and needs replacing at the same time.

Not good. I wonder whether anybody will need to pay compenstation?

Edited August 10, 2021 by melmerby

[jim.snowdon]

On 10/08/2021 at 19:14, melmerby said:

Not quite what it seems.

The trams were going to be suspended for two or three months whilst the tramway junction for the Eastside extension (to the Old Crown Inn Digbeth via HS2 station) was installed, where Lower Bull Street meets the tracks at Corporation Street.

 

However it has been determined that all the trackwork from Bull Street to Stephenson Street is below standard and needs replacing at the same time.

Not good. I wonder whether anybody will need to pay compenstation?

One day, the consultants who do the design will work out how proper tram track is laid (both historically and currently in the rest of Europe).

 

(Spoken by experience as an ex-tramway engineer.)