Major West Midlands Metro expansion sparks recruitment drive: 40 drivers and engineers needed
As West Midlands Metro plans a major expansion, 40 new drivers and engineers are needed to support the growing network.
The West Midlands Metro is recruiting 40 new tram drivers and engineers as it prepares for major expansion.
With the network set to triple in size, new routes will link key areas across Birmingham and the Black Country.
Watch the video: Richard Gullick reports
But while new jobs are being created, others may be fading. Conductors remain onboard for now, but with ticket machines fully rolled out, their future role is uncertain as the system moves to a tech-first model.
The Metro's plan is simple: bigger network, better service.
Read more: West Midlands Metro scraps onboard ticket sales - What do passengers think of the major change?
But scaling up means changing how it runs - and who's on board. The expansion will take the tram system from a single spine to a full regional network.
Direct links to Digbeth, Brierley Hill and the NEC.
That's why they need forty new drivers and engineers.
Training includes four weeks of pre-employment prep, then seven weeks of paid driver training.
The goal is to build a new generation of staff - many from local colleges and jobcentres. But while jobs are opening up, some are also disappearing.
Ticket machines are now live across the Metro.
Passengers are expected to pay before boarding - by card, app or Swift card. With that shift comes a question: what happens to the conductors?
Their main role - selling tickets on board - is being phased out. Some may move into enforcement roles. Others may retrain as drivers.
Many are waiting in a kind of employment limbo, unsure how long they'll remain.
For passengers who rely on face-to-face support it's not just a policy shift. It's a human one. These are the people who've helped passengers navigate the system for decades.
Now they're being repositioned as the Metro modernises.
Behind the rollout is a move to cut costs and run things more efficiently.
The Metro says these changes will help tackle fare dodging and improve the journey.
While conductors may no longer be a fixture onboard, the shift reflects a broader move toward automation across transport.
New roles are being created, and some staff will retrain. But as the network grows, so too does the challenge of making sure no one is left behind.