Type=image;ImageID=15831;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=Alejandro Moreno and Councillor Roger Lawrence;TitleClass=strong;
Type=image;ImageID=15832;ImageClass=left;ImageTitle=The new track recently installed;TitleClass=strong;
Thirty six metres of the track, that will take the Metro to Wolverhampton Railway Station, was laid in the city centre, as works continue to progress.
The event was marked by Councillor Roger Lawrence, Leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council and West Midlands Combined Authority portfolio lead for transport, and Alejandro Moreno, Director of the Midland Metro Alliance, and brings the ambitious project to extend the Metro in the city one step closer to completion.
Councillor Roger Lawrence said: "This is a significant milestone for West Midlands Metro in Wolverhampton, it is a sign of the progress the scheme is making and people can see how it is now that much closer. Nearly eight million journeys a year are now made on the Metro but this extension also has a key role to play in unlocking further investment and jobs, not just in Wolverhampton but across the wider Black Country, enabling us to open up new areas for redevelopment and underpinning our long term ambitions for jobs and prosperity. The Wolverhampton Interchange project is all part of getting the right transport infrastructure in place to improve connectivity and ensure the city is ready to capitalise on the arrival of HS2 in a just a few years' time."
Alejandro added: "The first tracks being laid is a significant and symbolic moment for the Wolverhampton City Centre Metro Extension. By extending the Metro to the railway station, we will not only provide an attractive gateway to those entering the city by national rail, bus or tram services, but will help to improve transport links in the city."
The extension forms part of the wider £150 million Wolverhampton Interchange to regenerate the city's transport hub, and construction work for phase 2 along Pipers Row got underway in the spring.
When operational, after the construction of the new Railway Station is complete, trams will serve 2 additional tram stops; one at the city's bus station on Pipers Row and one at the station, allowing easy interchange with other modes of public transport. It is anticipated that this second phase of the works will be completed in late summer 2018 when the road will reopen.
- released: Wednesday 4 July, 2018