Midland Metro is the modern light rail system in the West Midlands. The first line of the service, Line One, provides a fast link between Snow Hill Station in Birmingham City Centre and Wolverhampton City Centre via West Bromwich, Wednesbury, and Bilston and is fully accessible.
The trams
Every tram has been designed to enable level access, there is level access between the tram and platform edge. The main access features of the trams are-
Bright colour contrasting doors and handrails
Automatic opening and closing doors, operated by the driver
Priority seats for disabled people and people with mobility difficulties
2 easily accessible spaces for wheelchair users. When in the space wheelchair users should apply their brakes and should not travel facing sideways
'Next stop' visual information screens and audio announcements
Emergency intercom, also located in wheelchair space
Trams have Customer Service Representatives on-board to give information and to sell and check tickets and passes
Assistance dogs are permitted, however generally dogs are not allowed on board
All 23 stops along the route have been designed to be fully accessible, with level, ramped, or lift access to all platforms. Handrails are provided where required. There is no permanent staff presence at stops. Every tram stop has the following features-
Waiting shelter on each platform
Passenger information and timetables
Tactile paving along platform edge, at stairs and crossing points
Good lighting
Seating in shelter
Emergency intercom at end of shelter
'Real Time' Information and audio announcements
Free Park and Ride facilities at The Hawthorns, Black Lake, Wednesbury Parkway and Priestfield stops with Blue Badge disabled parking spaces.
Cycle racks at some stops
The tram stops at every stop on the route. The service operates between 05:15 and 23:30 Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 23:30 on Saturday and 08:00 to 23:15 on Sunday. There is a frequent service every 8 minutes between 07:00 and 19:00 Monday to Saturday, and every 10/12 minutes at other times.
A range of Network West Midlands ticket options are available for use on the Metro, including free travel for concessionary after 09:30 weekdays and all weekend
Where Travel West Midlands passes and tickets are sold, these may be used on the Metro if marked Metro Add On or Metrocard.
If in doubt, please check validity with the ticket issuer before purchase. Rail/Bus transfer tickets are also available to allow multi modal travel within the West Midlands.
Finally, cash fares can also be paid with change available from the Customer Service Representative on the tram.