Former Midlands Metro tram gets sustainable revamp

Tram 16 was the last vehicle to be used before the original 1999 fleet was retired

One of the original trams to be used on the Midland Metro network over 20 years ago is being given a new greener and cleaner lease of life.

Tram 16 was introduced in 1999 when the Wolverhampton to Birmingham route was launched and was the last service to run before the first fleet was retired in August 2015, the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO) said.

Most were dismantled, but Tram 16 was kept as a test vehicle and is now being revamped as part of a government project to try sustainable developments within the industry.

It will be on display as the centrepiece of an event on 30 April hosted by Dudley-based BCIMO, a not-for-profit research and technology group.

After being withdrawn from service Tram 16 was purchased by UK Tram, which represents operators and manufacturers within the light rail sector.

As part of levelling up funding announced by the government in 2022 to support research and development in the West Midlands, the vehicle was donated to BCIMO through the Clean Futures project.

The tram has been stripped and modified, with further work planned

It has since been stripped, cleaned and had new livery added before a second phase of work which will see it being converted from its original grid-based power source to an off-grid battery system.

Not only has the tram been saved from being dismantled, "but now re-purposed to be at the heart of transport innovation in the Black Country, and on track for the wider West Midlands journey to net zero", BCIMO said.

James Hammett, managing director of UK Tram, said they were delighted to see it being transformed.

“This collaboration ticks more boxes than we could have envisaged, for the Clean Futures programme, the BCIMO’s goals, and our vision for the wider light rail sector," he added.