THE WEST Midlands Combined Authority is to begin procurement this year for what it has dubbed a fleet of third Generation Trams (3GT) to serve the extensions of the Midland Metro it is planning in the coming nine years.
Services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton are currently operated by 21 Urbos 3 trams built by CAF, but more vehicles will be needed as the network grows. A report to the WMCA’s Transport Delivery Committee suggests around 50 more trams will be needed by 2026. Market testing is now underway and an invitation to negotiate is proposed to be issued by the end of the year, with contract award planned for 2019.
