Trams back in Birmingham after 62 years

The first tram services started on Sunday morning

Trams have returned to Birmingham for the first time in more than 60 years.

The first tram passengers in the city centre since 1953 went from Snow Hill station to a new stop in Bull Street.

The Midland Metro service is the first step in the opening of a £128m project.

Transport authority Centro is working on a 0.7 mile (1.2km) extension which will include trams running along Corporation Street to New Street station.

The work has been scaled back to minimise disruption up to Christmas but the trams are expected to be seen running along the route during testing in December.

John McNicholas, chair of the ITA's Transport Delivery Committee which oversees Centro, said it was a historic day.

"It's good news for Birmingham but also the wider West Midlands as this extension is expected to create more than 1,300 sustainable new jobs and boost the regional economy by more than £50 million a year," he said.

Once complete, the Metro extension will see trams from Wolverhampton continue in to Birmingham through Bull Street and Stephenson Street, terminating at New Street station.

Mr McNicholas said the extension was the start of a major expansion of the Metro over the next few years following the regional devolution deal struck with the government.

"We will see £1.2 billion invested in public transport over the next 10 years," he said.