ROLLING STOCK
© Kevin Boyd
New Midland Metro Urbos 3 tram fleet enters service The first four trams of a new fleet have begun operations on the Midland Metro. Adam Hewitt reports. service in 1999.
N
ew Urbos 3 trams have just started running between Wolverhampton and
Birmingham.
On 5 September, Midland Metro launched into service the first four trams of the £40m new fleet, which will eventually total 20 or 25 new vehicles.
At least one new tram is arriving each month at the Midland Metro depot in Wednesbury from CAF’s factory in Zaragoza, Spain. Twelve of the trams had already arrived as RTM went to press. The new fleet is replacing the current T69 trams from AnsaldoBreda, which carry 156 passengers compared to 210 (54 seated) on the Urbos 3. The new trams are 33m long, up from 24m for the existing fleet, which went into
Driver training continued throughout August, with full system runs every Wednesday and Thursday evening, according to Gareth Prior of British Trams Online. Before the trams could be cleared for service, they needed to run 1,800km fault-free.
The tram bodies are designed in a modular way, made of light aluminium alloys, ensuring low weight and fast manufacture times. Two of the five modules are bogie-mounted, while the other three are suspended. The Urbos 3 has three braking systems – electro-dynamic regenerative braking for general use, more specialised hydraulic friction braking, and magnetic track braking for emergency stops.
An extension to the Midland Metro is currently being built through Birmingham City Centre, from the current Snow Hill terminus to New Street station, and due for completion next year. The contractor for that work is Balfour Beatty.
Preliminary ground works have also started on a second extension from New Street station to Centenary Square, while the government has earmarked more than £90m towards two further routes along Broad Street to Edgbaston, just west of Five Ways, and to the planned HS2 station in the city’s Eastside district.
W:
www.centro.org.uk/metro FOR MORE INFORMATION
rail technology magazine Aug/Sep 14 | 65
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