Work has begun on a £13.8 million expansion of the Wednesbury Midland Metro depot.
Centro, the Midlands’ transport authority, has awarded the contract to Morgan Sindall.
The project will see the existing Metro Centre at Potters Lane updated ready to receive 20 new trams as part of the £128 million expansion of the line.
The work consists of a 42 metre extension to the east of the existing maintenance shed along with additional maintenance births, four new stabling sidings and a separate testing and commissioning shed.
There will also be also upgrades to the existing overhead line, infrastructure and communications, and a new substation will be constructed at Colliery Road, West Bromwich.
Work is scheduled for completion in summer 2013.
Spanish tram manufacturer CAF has been chosen to supply up to 25 Urbos 3 trams in a deal worth in the region of £40 million.
The first new tram is scheduled to come into service – on the existing line – in February 2014.
The city centre extension with the full new tram fleet is scheduled to be in service from March 2015.
