'Incredibly frustrating ' suspension to tram services

Trams services in the West Midlands have been suspended after more cracks were discovered in vehicle. Repairs are expected to take at least four weeks.

And Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) said although the temporary suspension would be “incredibly frustrating ” for city centre businesses, safety was paramount.

Temporary repairs were carried out in June, but the operator, West Midlands Metro, said inspections found the cracks to be more extensive.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said he was seeking "urgent answers" as to what had gone wrong.

West Midlands Metro said permanent repairs were required and all services were suspended from last Saturday.

Eight million journeys were made on the network in 2019-20, according to figures from the Department for Transport.

A spokesman for West Midlands Metro said: "Earlier this year West Midlands Metro discovered cracks on our trams, which resulted in a temporary interruption to services for inspections and repairs

"Temporary repairs were carried out to return our fleet to service as soon as possible but inspections have found that more extensive and permanent repairs are now required. To ensure the future safety of our customers and colleagues, we have made the decision to suspend all services from November 13, to carry out these repairs.

"We are continuing to work alongside the tram manufacturer to understand the issues and carry out the repairs as quickly as possible. At this time we are unable to confirm when services will resume but we expect it will take at least four weeks.

"We have taken this difficult decision to ensure services can continue to run safely and reliably in the future.

"We apologise sincerely for the inconvenience this will cause and we are working with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) to ensure measures are in place so that our customers are still able to travel safely and reliably around the region on public transport."

Raj Kandola (pictured), head of policy at GBCC, said: “The temporary suspension of the Metro will be incredibly frustrating for businesses operating in the city especially with Christmas around the corner.

“Nevertheless, safety is paramount and it is vital that this time is used effectively to make permanent repairs and ensure we are not faced with this scenario again in the future.

“In the meantime, we would urge commuters to explore alternative methods of travel and plan ahead well in advance to avoid any further delays. ”