A fleet of new trams are heading to the West Midlands after Spanish manufacturer CAF signed a £83.5 million deal to build 21 units.
The company has won the brief from the West Midlands Combined Authority to supply the trams as part of an overhaul of the fleet.
It comes ahead of a new extension opening between Birmingham New Street station and Hagley Road in Edgbaston which is due to complete in the next couple of years.
The first of the third generation Urbos trams will enter service in 2021 and the order will double the size of the current fleet.
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The combined authority said passenger numbers had leapt from five million to seven million a year following the opening of the Birmingham city centre extension between Snow Hill and New Street stations in 2016.
Alongside the new trams, CAF will also provide technical support and battery management services over 30 years and there is an option to purchase a further 29 trams as the network grows.
Other planned extensions of the West Midlands Metro will serve Digbeth and the new HS2 station, Birmingham Airport, Brierley Hill and the Merry Hill centre.
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West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said: "These new trams are a real game-changer for our expanding West Midlands Metro network and I am delighted we have put pen to paper with CAF.
"These next generation trams are battery powered, designed to operate on new sections of the line between Grand Central and Hagley Road which are free of overhead cables.
"Our existing fleet of CAF trams already provide excellent service for thousands of travellers a day on the current Metro line and these are also being modified with the installation of on-board batteries."
Coun Ian Ward, transport chief with the combined authority and leader of Birmingham City Council, added: "This contract represents a huge step forward in our plans to serve even more communities across the region.
"Our extensions in Birmingham and Wolverhampton city centres will enable more people to easily get to places they need for work and wonderful visitor attractions like the Library of Birmingham and Symphony Hall.
"While the extension to Brierley Hill will unlock opportunities for many people in the Black Country."
If the additional trams are ordered, the contract could more than treble the number of trams operating in the West Midlands, bringing the total size of the fleet to over 70.
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CAF's 海角视频 director Richard Garner added: "CAF is delighted to have been selected to provide additional, state-of-the-art Urbos trams for this ground-breaking 海角视频 Metro line.
"The CAF Urbos tram will be the first example of battery technology being used in a high intensity passenger service here in the 海角视频."