Centro and CAF have formally signed contracts on a deal that will bring up to 25 new trams to the West Midlands.
The Spanish manufacturer will supply the Urbos 3 trams in a deal worth in the region of £40 million.
Centro chief executive Geoff Inskip and Antonio Campos, International Division Area Director for CAF, put pen to paper to seal the deal in a signing ceremony at Centro House in Birmingham.
The trams will replace the current 16-strong fleet to deal with the expected growth in use of the Metro once the 1.3km (0.8 mile) extension between Snow Hill and New Street via Bull Street, Corporation Street, and Stephenson Street is open.
The new trams will start running from late 2014 on the current route from Snow Hill to Wolverhampton, with the Midland Metro extension from Birmingham Snow Hill to Birmingham New Street station coming ‘on line’ in 2015.
The extension is expected to boost the West Midlands economy by £50 million a year and create 1,300 sustainable new jobs.
Geoff Inskip said: “I am delighted that we have formally signed contracts for this exciting new chapter in the story of the Midland Metro.
“The new Urbos trams are high-quality vehicles which will be a superb addition to public transport in the Midlands.”
The new, bigger trams will provide far greater passenger capacity between Birmingham and the Black Country.
