Worried commuters and children react to shock West Midlands Metro cancellations
Schoolchildren and workers who rely on the West Midlands Metro to get around have spoken of their dismay after the shock cancellation of tram services for the next four weeks at least.
Meanwhile some staff said they have not yet been told if they will be paid while services aren't running.
Chiefs announced on Friday that all services would be cancelled for at "at least" four weeks after cracks were found on the vehicles.
Starting tomorrow, November 13, there will be no services for at least a month.
Some commuters and schoolchildren heard the news while waiting to head home from Wolverhampton.
Nuria Oviedo, a 36-year-old trainee teacher, said she relied on the tram service and has already paid for her travel for the rest of this month.
“I do rely a lot on the tram. I can take the train but I’ll need to pay for it from Monday to Friday.
"I have a Swift Card which is paid for until the end of the month, so I’ll be paying for a service that I’m not going to use.”
Two schoolchildren who gave their names as Faith and Tolu said they would have to use more expensive options to get to and from school.
They said: “We get the tram every Thursday and Friday to school. I don’t know any other way to get in except the train, which is way further out and more expensive.”
Dana Muraseva, 34 said: “It’s horrible. I use the tram almost every day, and schoolchildren use it to get home.”
Katie Johnston, 19, works at Primark. She and her colleague use the trams to get to and from work.
Katie said: “We wouldn’t have known until Monday and we would have been late for work. We have to be here at 6am. I don’t have anywhere to get the bus - I live far away from any bus routes and half the time the 79 doesn’t even turn up.”
Louisa Mita, 50 and Dean Oakes, 54 use the tram several times a week.
They said: “It’s definitely concerning. Loads of people get on the tram so maybe it only takes so much weight? It will definitely affect us, especially on a Saturday.”
