Birmingham Metro suspended for "a number of weeks" due to cracks
Services were stopped on Sunday "until further notice"
The operator of the West Midlands Metro says that services will be suspended for "a number of weeks" but has not provided more detail on the timeframe of a return to service.
The provider have said that they are "confident" that they will be able to return tram services ahead of the arrival of the Commonwealth games in Birmingham in 126 days time.
On Sunday tram services were suspended without notice for the third time in nine months. Repairs due to cracks are needed in the older vehicles while the newer trams are yet to go through the testing and commissioning necessary for them to be able to help with restoring the service. The provider says refunds are on the way to ticket and passes holders.
Here is the West Midlands Metro statement in full:
"Detailed inspections of bodywork cracks have been undertaken on our older trams and repairs are required across the fleet. Midland Metro Limited (MML) is requiring the manufacturer to replace the panels rather than repair the existing panels to ensure the future reliability and robustness of the service. Unfortunately, this means the service will be suspended for a number of weeks.
"We are working with the manufacturer, CAF, to carry out these 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 by the manufacturer."
"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."
"We are currently processing refunds for Metro tickets and passes for customers that have been affected by the suspension of services. Metro tickets and passes will continue to be accepted on a variety of National Express bus services and on all train services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham until Sunday 3rd April when ticket acceptance will 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. The entire Metro team shares the understandable frustration and disappointment felt by its customers at this latest service suspension, and it is doing all it can to ensure the panel replacements are carried out as quickly as possible by the manufacturer. Updates will be available through our website and social media channels."