Cracked West Midlands Metro trams have failed in other cities
The same model tram which has halted the Midlands Metro due to cracks on carriages has failed elsewhere in the world.
The Spanish-made CAF trams have been widely criticised in Australia where the Sydney light-railway system has been beset by problems.
All 12 of the CAF trams were taken out of service in Australia and experts Down Under believe it could be 18 months before they are fully operational. West Midlands Metro, however, are hoping services will resume a lot quicker. Currently, services have been suspended for at least four weeks, but there are fears it could be longer.
A West Midlands Metro spokesman said: “We cannot confirm that at this stage, but we are continuing to work alongside the tram manufacturer to understand the issues and carry out the repairs as quickly as possible. We are also in contact with colleagues in Sydney."
At the West Midlands Transport Delivery Committee, councillors from the various authorities in the combined authority branded the suspension of the service was branded "unacceptable".
Coventry councillor Pervez Akhtar said: "The same trams we have, have had problems in Australia. We should have known about this."
Fallings Park councillor Chris Burden believed the West Midlands had "put its eggs in one basket" by relying on one manufacturer to provide trams - CAF from Spain.
He said: "If you look all around the world at other systems then it is very rare for just one type of tram to be used. Normally there are two or three different types of trams so if what happened this weekend with the cracks happened then the entire fleet would not be stopped.
"It seems as though we have put all our eggs into one basket."
In 2019 West Midlands Combined Authority signed an £83.5 million deal with CAF for 21 new third generation Urbos trams. Nine of which have been delivered and could be the key to getting the Metro moving again as engineers try and fix the cracks in the older trams.
As part of the deal CAF also provides technical support and battery management services over 30 years and their engineers are trying to solve the issues of the reappearing cracks.
It is unknown how much compensation the Spanish company will have to pay due to its trams failing, however, interim managing director of Transport for West Midlands Anne Shaw, told councillors at the meeting "a litigation plan" was being put in place.
Councillor Burden said: "The public will want to know why trams, which are bought at considerable expense, keep breaking down, we would ask the same about a new car, but trams cost a lot more."
CAF is unavailable for comment, however, its website said: "All our vehicles are equipped with service-proven solutions and guarantee optimal reliability throughout their entire life cycle. Its design seeks maximum energy efficiency and a large transport capacity for operators."
