West Midlands Metro

The West Midlands Metro is a light-rail system running through the West Midlands county in England. It links Birmingham and Wolverhampton, passing through Bilston, Wednesbury and West Bromwich. The route uses former railway lines and runs on city streets in parts. A second line between Wednesbury and Dudley is due to open in late 2026. The Metro was launched in 1999 as Midland Metro after a 25-year contract was awarded to the Altram consortium. The original fleet of 16 trams was replaced in the 2010s by 42 newer CAF Urbos 3 vehicles. Recent extensions now reach Edgbaston Village in Birmingham and Wolverhampton station. Plans include a branch to Brierley Hill and another to Birmingham’s Eastside via Curzon Street. Visitors find a modern tram service with 35 stops along 24 kilometres of track. The trams run at street level through urban areas and on reserved tracks outside the cities. Stops serve key locations such as Birmingham New Street station and Wolverhampton station. The system connects the city centres with surrounding towns and continues to expand.