Two members of the West Midlands Metro team are celebrating this week after making an impressive debut at the prestigious European competition for tram drivers.
Outscoring fellow tram drivers from Edinburgh and Dublin, Jasbir Kaur and Dawid Osika were the highest-place competitors from the UK and Ireland at the European Tram Driver Championship in Frankfurt.
Over the weekend, they faced a variety of challenges, including testing of reactions by bringing trams to a precise emergency halt and where drivers must skilfully stop and start the tram whilst preserving the levels of fluids in an attached water bowl.
With 26 teams from across Europe taking part, they faced stiff competition from networks across Europe and finished 14th overall.
“This was the first time they have entered the championship, and finishing mid-table against teams with far greater competition experience was a fantastic effort from Jasbir and Dawid,” explained Anthony Stanley, West Midland Metro’s Interim Head of Operations and Safety, who accompanied them as the team head coach during the competition in Germany.
“We take great pride in the skills of all our drivers, who are trained to the highest standards, and the competition provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents and raise the profile of West Midlands Metro.”
The competition was won by a team from Budapest, and more information about the competition can be found here.
