West Midlands Metro tram services suspended for weeks

West Midlands Metro services were cancelled after further cracks were found

A suspension of services on the West Midlands Metro is set to last a number of weeks, its operator has said.

Services were halted on Saturday for "detailed inspections" after bodywork cracks were found on older trams.

The manufacturer is now having to replace rather than repair the affected panels, said Midland Metro Ltd.

Full services had only resumed in February after a stoppage which began in November. Midland Metro Ltd apologised for the inconvenience.

The tram service normally operates every 6-8 minutes at peak times between Birmingham Library and Wolverhampton St Georges

In a statement, it said it was working with manufacturer CAF to sort the replacements as soon as possible.

"However, we feel the West Midlands needs a tram service it can rely on which is why we have decided to suspend the service so more extensive replacements can be carried out," the statement said.

"At the same time, the testing and commissioning of our new trams, which are unaffected by the bodywork defect, continues and this will help to bolster fleet availability in the future," it added.

• What is wrong with West Midlands trams?

Refunds were being processed for customers affected by the suspension, it added.

Tickets, it said, would continue to be accepted on some National Express bus services and on West Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast trains between Birmingham and Wolverhampton until 3 April, when ticket acceptance would end.

"Once again we are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused by this latest suspension and understand the impact it will have on our customers' daily lives."

Anne Shaw said the company was looking at sites the trams could be fixed

Anne Shaw, director of Transport for the West Midlands said the company was trying to secure some external locations in order to repair and replace the body panels at the same time, "so that we can fix as many as possible".

"We're concentrating on fixing enough trams... so that we can have a safe and reliable service."