First chance on board new £40m Midland Metro trams

Members of the public will get the chance to go on one of the Midland Metro's new trams tomorrow.

£40 million has been spent upgrading the fleet, and five out of a eventual 20 trams are being tested at the main depot in Wednesbury.

They'll be in full service by the summer, but passengers can have an early look at one of the high-tech trams at Birmingham Snow Hill station tomorrow. Chris Halpin reports.

Commuters on the Midland Metro have spoken of their excitement at the launch of a £40 million new fleet of trams in the coming months.

Passengers told ITV News Central they liked the look of the new trams and were excited to get on board - though had their fingers crossed for fewer breakdowns.

The general manager of Midland Metro has welcomed five new £1.8 million trams set to hit the tracks in the summer.

Dean Watkins told ITV News Central around five million people use the line every year, and said the new trams could "only be a good thing" for the region, both in terms of improving public transport and by encouraging investment.

One of the Midland Metro's new £40million fleet of trams will go on show to the public for the first time tomorrow.

A total of 20 new trams are being built in Spain, and so far five have been delivered to the Midland Metro depot in Wednesbury. Each costs £1.8m, and the new trams will be able to carry a third more passengers.

ITV News Central were invited to see inside one of the new trams, ahead of the public viewing at Birmingham Snow Hill on Saturday 5th April.

They replace the older trams which have been running between Wolverhampton and Birmingham for 15 years, since the line first opened in 1999. It's all part of the £126 million upgrade to the line which is being extended to Birmingham New Street.