A new extension taking Birmingham’s trams to New Street Station has finally opened, with help from Ozzy Osbourne.
The extension is part of a £128m project and has been built by Centro, the delivery arm of the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority.
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Midland Metro trams run between Birmingham and Wolverhampton
It was due to open earlier this month but had to be delayed for track alignment works following safety checks by Centro.
Last week rock star and Birmingham native Mr Osbourne unveiled a new tram for the service, which is named after him.
Midland Metro trams between Birmingham and Wolverhampton are run by National Express.
Cllr John Clancy, leader of Birmingham City Council, said: ‘These are really exciting times. The expansion of the Metro means future jobs and economic growth worth millions of pounds for this region.
‘We’ve already started work on extending the route on from New Street Station to Centenary Square to open in 2019 while another extension through Wolverhampton city centre to the bus and railway stations is also expected to be completed around the same time.
‘Funding has also been earmarked to take trams to Edgbaston, while the route of another extension through Digbeth has also been finalised including to the planned HS2 high speed rail station.'
Midland Metro said the overall project would boost the West Midlands economy by more than £50m a year and create 1,300 new jobs.
Birmingham is one of five cities required to bring in a Clean Air Zone by 2020 to meet EU air quality rules.
