Centro, the public transport for the West Midlands, announced it will put into service CAF Urbos 3 catenary-free trams. West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority (ITA) approved Centro’s plan to transform tramway lines into a catenary-free.
This means that 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. 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. 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
This includes the Birmingham Eastside section where the extension runs under the proposed Curzon Street station along New Canal Street.
Negotiations have begun with battery suppliers but the final cost is not yet available. However a £3.15m (€4m) contribution will be made by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and £1m (€1.3m) will come from industry association UKTram.
Share on:
