Detailed inspections of bodywork cracks have been undertaken on our older trams and repairs are required across the fleet. Midland Metro Limited (MML) is requiring the manufacturer to replace the panels rather than repair the existing panels to ensure the future reliability and robustness of the service. Unfortunately, this means the service will be suspended for a number of weeks.
We are working with the manufacturer, CAF, to carry out these replacements as soon as possible. However, we feel the West Midlands needs a tram service it can rely on which is why we have decided to suspend the service so more extensive replacements can be carried out by the manufacturer.
At the same time, the testing and commissioning of our new trams, which are unaffected by the bodywork defect, continues and this will help to bolster fleet availability in the future.
We are currently processing refunds for Metro tickets and passes for customers that have been affected by the suspension of services. Metro tickets and passes will continue to be accepted on a variety of National Express bus services and on all train services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham until Sunday 3rd April when ticket acceptance will end.
Once again, we are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused by this latest suspension and understand the impact it will have on our customers’ daily lives.
The entire Metro team shares the understandable frustration and disappointment felt by its customers at this latest service suspension, and it is doing all it can to ensure the panel replacements are carried out as quickly as possible by the manufacturer.
