On Thursday 19th November the Queen visited the Midland Metro Bull Street stop directly opposite The Priory Rooms. The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, named and boarded one of the new trams ahead of its launch in December.

The Royal tour of Birmingham showed off the innovative new developments in Birmingham city centre which will improve the regions infrastructure. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh arrived at New Street Station by Royal Train. They were welcomed to the city by crowds of spectators. The Queen then officially opened the refurbished station which has enhanced train services and created an extensive shopping mall. The Royals then drove to Bull Street tram stop where one of the new trams was parked. Crowds waved flags and cheered for the Royals. Centro, who operate the Midland Metro, then delivered a short ceremony. The Queen named the tram in memory of Angus Adams, a Dudley borough councilor who died in 2012. Mr Adams was the chairman of the West Midlands Integrated Passenger Transport Authority and Centro. Boarding the tram, the Queen and Duke were given a tour of the drivers cab by the Midland Metro’s senior driving supervisor Derek Taylor. The tram was one of a fleet of 20 new units built in Spain with a capacity to carry more than 200 passengers.

The Midland Metro extension will start taking passengers on Monday 6th December. It will bring trams back into Birmingham city centre more than sixty years after they stopped running. Bull Street will be the first stop opened, taking passengers to and from Snowhill Station. The next stops leading to New Street Station will open in early 2016. The opening of the Bull Street stop is an exciting milestone for Centro’s £128 million city centre extension which has been eagerly anticipated by businesses and commuters.

The city centre tram route will provide customers of The Priory Rooms with a quick and easy way to travel from Snowhill and New Street station to the conference centre. The Priory Rooms’ Centre Manager Andrew Callan commented, “The travel improvements being made in Birmingham city centre will revolutionise how visitors and commuters travel. The Priory Rooms are delighted to be located directly opposite the milestone Midland Metro Bull Street stop and we know it will be a huge benefit to our customers. The Midland Metro will make travelling to our venue easier than ever before. We look forward to welcoming existing and new customers who enjoy the safe and quick journey on the tram to The Priory Rooms.”

The Queen and Duke completed their tour of Birmingham by attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the Pals War Memorial which commemorates railway men who died during the First World War. They then visited the new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry meeting patients and staff. The Queen unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the site.

The Priory Rooms were delighted to watch the Royal visit to Bull Street and look forward to the future of city centre travel on their doorstop.

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