West Midlands Metro Tracklaying in Brum

[melmerby]

Today the trams were running the full scheduled service to Bull Street.

 

Unfortunately passengers were not allowed on betwen St. Pauls and Bull Street!

Passengers were alighting at St. Pauls to be replaced by members of the Orange Army for the trip to Bull St. where the tram would reverse through the turnback for the trip back to St. Pauls.

I managed to see two trams passing on the new section several times whilst I was there.

 

Some photos to follow.

 

I also took some video in several locations. What's the best way to upload these to RMWeb?

 

Cheers

 

Keith

[dcroz]

 

Midland Metro is coming to Town

http://nxbus.co.uk/the-metro/news/midland-metro-is-coming-to-town

We are delighted to be running Midland Metro into Birmingham City Centre from Sunday 6th December 2015. We'll be operating a normal service from Bull Street to Wolverhampton from 08:00 in the morning.

Bull Street tram stop will now provide the interchange with rail and bus services serving the Snow Hill Interchange and bus services at the Priory Queensway Interchange. Please see the map below to familiarise yourself with the location of this new Midland Metro stop:

 

http://nxbus.co.uk/files/MidlandMetro/Misc/BullStreetMAP-01.jpg

Work is continuing to complete the new Snow Hill, Corporation Street and Grand Central stops and these will open next year.

Thank you for your continued support during the recent works.

Edited December 4, 2015 by dcroz

[melmerby]

Photos from today

 

Trams, Trams Trams!

 

Unit 35 "Angus Adams" crosses Colmore Circus, approaching Bull Street:

 

 

Unit 35 Returns to Wolves, re-crossing Colmore Circus:

 

 

Unit 30 approaching Bull Street through Colmore gate:

 

 

Unit 30 at the tram stop in Bull Street:

 

 

Unit 30 returning from Bull Street towards Wolverhampton:

 

 

Unit 20 travelling towards Bull Street alongside Snow Hill Station:

 

 

Unit 20 returning:

 

 

Some of the periphery.

 

Tram Stop in Bull Street:

 

Note "Welcome to Bull Street Station"!

 

Signs of the times:

Tramway point signal and traffic prohibition:

 

The points in Bull Street were permanently reversed and incoming trams trailed through them before returning towards St. Pauls

 

Tram Speed Limit and HV warning:

 

 

Power feed showing the conductors south of the isolation break apparently "earthed":

 

 

Seeing the trams constantly coming and going to Bull St. today suggests the start date of Dec 6th (Sunday) for the full passenger service to Bull Street is pretty likely!

 

Keith

Edited December 4, 2015 by melmerby

[wombatofludham]

Great photos, the section alongside Snow Hill looks particularly good.

[Robert Shrives]

Hi ,

Thanks for pictures- much better than mine. 

 

I too like the grass bit however I do wonder what will happen when its longer and on the railheads will Centro have a sandite tram? and will we enjoy tramflats on the fleet after sliding down the hill towards St Pauls .Cannot wait to see the mower modified tram fleet - will it in centro green?

 

Cannot wait for Saturday. The next extension is logical plus saves having to find storage for all the cones and barriers still littering the job and I hope the mess trackside at Snowhill is fully cleaned up for opening or it will look like a "rush" job..

regards

Robert  

[Edwin_m]

I too like the grass bit however I do wonder what will happen when its longer and on the railheads will Centro have a sandite tram? and will we enjoy tramflats on the fleet after sliding down the hill towards St Pauls .Cannot wait to see the mower modified tram fleet - will it in centro green?

Trams are surprisingly sure-footed.  Some years ago we tried to use the standard BR method of testing poor adhesion conditions on a Croydon tram.  This involved fitting it with a tank of soapy water and dispensing tubes.  Even with the sanders disabled and using maximum acceleration and braking it was virtually impossible to induce any slip/slide. 

 

Having said that there is an incident reported on the RAIB website where a Sheffield tram hit the back of another one, which may be adhesion-related.  It will be interesting to see the report. 

Edited December 4, 2015 by Edwin_m

[rovex]

I honestly can't believe given how long these works have been taking that so far all they have resulted in is an extension from Snow Hill to Bull Street. 

[dcroz]

Trams return to Birmingham city centre

http://centro.org.uk/about-us/news/2015/trams-return-to-birmingham-city-centre/

Trams are once again running on the streets of Birmingham as Midland Metro services began operating in the city centre today. Passengers can now travel to a new stop in Bull Street, the first step in the opening of the £128 million city centre tram extension. Services began running to the stop on Sunday morning, the first time trams have run in the city since they were withdrawn in 1953.

 

The first Midland Metro tram of the day breaks through a celebratory banner as it arrives at Bull Street.

 

Building of the Midland Metro extension is being carried out by Centro, the delivery arm of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority (ITA). Councillor John McNicholas, chair of the ITA's Transport Delivery Committee which oversees Centro, said it was a historic day both for Birmingham and the wider region. "I am delighted that Metro services are now running into the city centre," he said. "It's good news for Birmingham but also the wider West Midlands as this extension is expected to create more than 1,300 sustainable new jobs and boost the regional economy by more than £50 million a year." Cllr McNicholas said the extension was just the start of a major expansion of the Metro over the next few years thanks to the regional devolution deal struck with the Government.  "We will see £1.2 billion invested in public transport over the next 10 years," he said. "This will mean important new Metro links in Wolverhampton as well as Edgbaston and to Brierley Hill. Passengers will also be able to get straight to the High Speed 2 rail stations in Birmingham and the NEC/Airport by 2026. This is fantastic news for the region."
 

Once complete the Metro extension will see trams from Wolverhampton continue into the city through Bull Street, Corporation Street and Stephenson Street to terminate at New Street station. Work on the remainder of the city centre extension has been scaled back by Centro for the Christmas period and will resume in the New Year when a completion date will be scheduled. Work has already begun extending the route from New Street Station to Centenary Square with services expected to start running in 2019. 
 

Funding has also been earmarked to extend the route still further along Broad Street, past Five Ways and on to Edgbaston by 2021. The route of the extension through Digbeth has also been chosen, running from Bull Street via Albert Street and on to the forthcoming HS2 high speed rail station at Curzon Street. From there it would go along New Canal Street and Meriden Street into High Street Deritend, stopping at Digbeth Coach Station and the Custard Factory. It is anticipated the line could be open by 2023. The service is operated by National Express West Midlands.

Edited December 7, 2015 by dcroz

[melmerby]

Had another look today.

 

It looks like the work has virtually ceased on the street section.

There were no work gangs and no obvious progress since last week.

 

e.g. Once past House Of Fraser (the isolation break) the contact wire is still hanging in pulleys from when it was first strung out.

Tarmac still obstructs the tramway in Stephenson Street.

 

The recent press release stating that after public opening to Bull Street test running would be carried out along Corporation St. in December seems a bit optimistic.

 

I did notice that the trams coming to and leaving from Bull Street had a reasonable number of passengers.

 

Keith

Edited December 10, 2015 by melmerby

[dcroz]

Looks like things are starting to move along at the other end of the line as well:

 

Midland Metro extension to bring year-long chaos to Wolverhampton roads
Council bosses have warned drivers to expect a year of disruption on city centre roads when work begins to extend the Metro. The £15 million new line will run along Piper's Row and Railway Drive linking the existing Wolverhampton St George's stop with the railway station. Road closures will be put in place at times during preparatory work which bosses revealed will start in May 2016 and last for almost a year:

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2016/01/28/midland-metro-extension-to-bring-year-long-chaos-to-wolverhampton-roads/ 

Edited January 28, 2016 by dcroz

[rovex]

If the Birmingham end is anything to go by one year of chaos sounds hopelessly optimistic

[melmerby]

I haven't posted anything for a while as since the tram opened to Bull Street work has almost ground to a halt.

The only significant progress sems to be in the paving at the top end of Stephenson Street and a couple of tram stops.

No work has been done on the OHLE since November!

 

A few shots taken today

 

Stephenson Street opposite Ian Allan (Three views):

 

 

 

Tram Stop opposite New Street Station (Three Views):

 

 

 

Tram Stop in Corporation Street looking almost complete (Two Views):

 

 

Plus some shots taken on 7/01/16

 

Tram Stop over Great Charles Street:

 

Close up an isolator in OHLE (Corporation Street):

 

Somebody's made a mess of the nice turf with a road vehicle:

 

Keith

Edited January 28, 2016 by melmerby

[dcroz]

Hi Keith,

 

Lovely to see your latest report - I've missed them! Thanks for documenting the progress for us viewers so diligently.

 

Best wishes,

 

David

Edited February 1, 2016 by dcroz

[Robert Shrives]

Shame about damage to grass - result has been a load of no entry signs along with more pedestrian warning signs between Bull St stop and Snow Hill 1- I am surprised that we are not advised to keep breathing while crossing tracks - everything else covered !!

 

It is good to report trams have settled in well and it is good even in the early hours seeing a good load and full at peak times

 

Tram stop building seeming to take ages - I guess supply of parts. footpaths newly built will need revisiting with puddling and settelement in places, the lowered kerb and tactiles by the bend on Corporation st are pretty bad - not quite needing a ferry but getting close.

 

In reality the city centre pathways are diabolical with broken, loose and just poorly laid hardly the standard for the leading city of the North more shanty than capital.

 

Robert     

[dcroz]

Fascinating news - several part of future extensions will have no overhead line thanks to lithium-ion batteries:

 

Battery-operated Midland Metro trams to be a UK first

 

http://centro.org.uk/about-us/news/2016/battery-operated-midland-metro-trams-to-be-a-uk-first/ 

 

Birmingham is to be the first city in the UK to use cutting edge battery technology that removes the need to attach overhead power lines to its historic buildings for trams. The fleet of Midland Metro Urbos 3 trams are to be fitted with hi-tech batteries to power the vehicles through architecturally sensitive areas. Known as catenary-free running, the go-ahead has been given by the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) to the plan by Centro, its delivery body.
 

It means there will be no need for overhead cables around the 182-year-old Town Hall in Victoria Square when the city centre Metro line is extended through from New Street station to Centenary Square. It also means the planned Birmingham Eastside extension running under the proposed HS2 station at Curzon Street will not need expensive infrastructure works to accommodate overhead lines. Cllr John McNicholas, chairman of the ITA's delivery committee, said: "When we placed the order in 2012 for our new fleet of trams the ITA had the vision for them being capable of running without overhead wires. "The technology then was not sufficiently developed to incorporate into the Birmingham city centre extension, but provision was made within the contract that should technology catch up the new trams could be retro-fitted with batteries. "That is now the case and the application of battery technology on this scale in the West Midlands will be a historic first for the UK light rail industry and the modern era of British tramways."

 

How catenary-free trams would look running through Birmingham’s Victoria Square

 

The current 21 tram fleet was made in Spain by CAF. Urbos 3 trams already run catenary-free in sections of the tram networks in Zaragoza, Seville and Cadiz in Spain but use supercapacitors to provide on-board energy storage. However these would be unsuitable for trams negotiating the steep hill in Pinfold Street from New Street station into Victoria Square. Overhead lines and equipment would have been needed, marring the architecturally sensitive environment of Victoria Square. However CAF now says newly available lithium ion batteries are robust enough to handle the gradients and can be fitted so trams are ready to run when the extension to Centenary Square opens in 2019. The batteries will be fitted on the tram roof and will be recharged by the overhead lines along other parts of the route. They are expected to require replacement at approximately seven-year intervals. Four new trams to allow the fleet to keep the current level of service once the Centenary Square extension opens have already been ordered and will come with batteries fitted. There are four sections identified in future network extensions for catenary-free running:

• The whole of the Birmingham Centenary Square extension, including through Victoria Square, where the Town Hall and Council House are situated
• The Birmingham-Edgbaston extension from Centenary Square to the Brindleyplace tram stop, and through the underpass at Five Ways
• Birmingham Eastside extension between Moor Street Queensway and Digbeth High Street stop, including under the proposed HS2 station at Curzon Street
• Wolverhampton city centre extension between the bus station and the railway station tram stops, encompassing the main pedestrian approach to Wolverhampton Interchange

The proposed Wednesbury to Brierley Hill extension is also being evaluated to identify catenary-free sections. The saving just from catenary-free operation on these four sections is £650,000, but longer term there will be greater savings as there is now no longer any need to prepare roads or buildings for overhead lines. This includes the Birmingham Eastside section where the extension runs under the proposed Curzon Street station along New Canal Street. The lack of headroom under the new station and the existing West Coast Main Line bridge would have meant major works to lower the road to install overhead lines - work which will now not be needed thanks to catenary-free running. Negotiations have begun with battery suppliers but the final cost is not yet available. However a £3.15m contribution will be made by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and £1m will come from industry association UKTram.

Edited February 12, 2016 by dcroz

[melmerby]

That is very interesting.

These catenary free sections are becoming more common in Europe as storage technology improves.

 

Nice to see the West Midlands getting in first in the UK.

Maybe time for some trolley bus routes like this as well (again already in use in Europe)

 

Keith

Edited February 12, 2016 by melmerby

[jamie92208]

I've ridden the Nice trams that use batteries on two sections. they've been running for some years now and presumably their is a of of experience to draw on. It's fascinating to stand behind the driver and see the battery meter going down and how quickly it re charges. Very quickly between the two sections, then more slowly to get a full charge on the catenary again to the terminus.

 

Jamie

[Phil Traxson]

Fascinating news - several part of future extensions will have no overhead line thanks to lithium-ion batteries:

 

Battery-operated Midland Metro trams to be a UK first

 

http://centro.org.uk/about-us/news/2016/battery-operated-midland-metro-trams-to-be-a-uk-first/ 

 

How catenary-free trams would look running through Birmingham’s Victoria Square

 

Hope they are going to lay the rails the right way though, there will be a big groove in the wheels running on that narrow head. Not many railways/tramways run with the wheel flange on the outside of the rail.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Phil Traxson

[JJGraphics]

Hope they are going to lay the rails the right way though, there will be a big groove in the wheels running on that narrow head. Not many railways/tramways run with the wheel flange on the outside of the rail.

 

Well spotted . . . !

[dcroz]

 

Centro Press release:

http://www.centro.org.uk/about-us/news/2016/spring-opening-for-next-leg-of-city-centre-tram-extension/

18.02.2016

Spring opening for next leg of city centre tram extension

The go-ahead for a series of crucial safety checks has been secured, paving the way for a spring opening of the next leg of the Birmingham city centre tram extension. Centro, the region's transport delivery body, has been given the green light by Network Rail to run essential overnight testing of the electrical systems along the new Midland Metro route on April 23.

The granting of the 'possession' will ensure that the Metro's electronic systems do not interfere with those controlling trains using New Street Station. The work will also check that Network Rail's systems do not interfere with the Metro.

 

Trams returned to city centre streets in December

 

Centro's Metro programme director, Phil Hewitt, said: "The only way we can carry out this work is by getting a possession, when no trains are running, from Network Rail and we are grateful to them for speeding up the process and cutting the length of time you usually have to wait. "This is a crucial piece of work because once done it clears the way for us to carry out the final testing, commissioning of, and staff training for the new extension. Once that process is completed we can start running trams down to New Street Station."

Trams returned to the streets of Birmingham for the first time in more than 60 years in December when the Midland Metro started running to a new stop in Bull Street. But work to complete the remainder of the route along Corporation Street and Stephenson Street to New Street Station was suspended for eight weeks in the run up to Christmas to provide a more attractive environment for shoppers. Work restarted in the New Year.

Jonathan Cheetham of Retail Birmingham, the Business Improvement District for Birmingham city centre's retail area, welcomed the announcement. He said: "We are delighted that this next phase has been achieved and we look forward to seeing trams arriving at Grand Central. This development is good news for the city and traders."

The industry standard timescale for possession is a minimum of 13 weeks but Network Rail was able to confirm the Metro date sooner, speeding up the potential opening of the new extension. The £128m project, which includes a fleet of 21 new trams and a new maintenance depot at Wednesbury, is expected to boost the West Midlands economy by more than £50 million a year and create 1,300 new jobs.

The Midland Metro system, which runs between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, serving locations such as the Jewellery Quarter, West Bromwich, Wednesbury and Bilston, will deliver more than three million people a year directly into the heart of Birmingham's main shopping district.

Meanwhile work has already begun on extending the route on from New Street Station to Centenary Square with services expected to start running in 2019. Funding has also been earmarked to take trams further along Broad Street, past Five Ways and on to Edgbaston. The route of another extension through Digbeth has also been finalised, running from Bull Street via Albert Street and on to the forthcoming HS2 high speed rail station at Curzon Street. From there it would go along New Canal Street and Meriden Street into High Street Deritend, stopping at Digbeth Coach Station and the Custard Factory. It is anticipated the line could be open by 2023.

Edited February 19, 2016 by dcroz

[melmerby]

BBC News in the West Midlands is reporting that the opening has just been postponed until Summer 2016!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/birmingham_and_black_country

 

Centro claim the section down to New Street Station has been "Challenging"

 

I suppose with testing not to start until the end of April a start of the full service could well be into June! (which is Summer!)

 

Considering that the point motors in Stephenson Street which had all been tarmaced in place have been dug out again to lay trunking for cables suggest that something has gone seriously wrong somewhere in the scheduling of work.

Or is it normal to have to do this?

 

It's starting to look somewhat farcical

 

I haven't posted many pictures since November as it is quite difficult to see any significant progress in most places.

 

Keith

 

EDIT this was one of the point motors last Thursday (11/02/2016):

 

Plenty of rubbish for future Archaeologists to muse over in a couple of hundred years time!

Edited February 18, 2016 by melmerby

[Dave47549]

.

Edited October 4, 2021 by Dave47549
Removed pointless guff

[melmerby]

Why are all the recent posts in this topic in heavy type?

 

It's the same on three different computers.

 

Keith

 

EDIT but this reply isn't!

Edited February 19, 2016 by melmerby

[martin_wynne]

Why are all the recent posts in this topic in heavy type?

 

It's the same on three different computers.

 

Hi Keith,

 

See: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/108309-south-west-trains-fare-structure/page-2&do=findComment&comment=2207906

 

It will cure when the topic starts a new page.

 

Martin.

[Robert Shrives]

Hi ,

Looks like a forum issue AY has got a header saying issues !

 

Looking at dug hole no sign of ever had cables and ducts stop short of access, differing contractors ?  From the earliest works with the utility Cos  it was a requirement to make good road surfaces asap, even if tarmac not even set when next company turned up. In upper bull street the concrete feet for cable posts were dug, concreted made good, then paving replaced after tarmac patching, then the metal work started appearing a year-ish later so path dug up again and posts put in and tarmac and now paving pack in place in most parts.

 

The rush to put in paving has told as now it is being taken back up in Bull street and repaired as it sank and created a trip hazard.

 

Easy to poke fun but it is a challenging  working environment with every shovel of work being in the public eye and at public expense with the public first to criticise or worse sue if tripped over a bit of upturned paving. - mind you rest of city is a right mess with broken paving a disgrace for first city of the north.

 

What is good is to read of quickly rolling on expansion, technical gains and increased ridership. Finally have you noted IOW railway now likely to be tramwayed and not in SWT franchise - mention of a field with trams in ex Brum...

 

Robert   

 

Robert