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Tracline 65 was a bus route in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, England which included the first
guided busway Guided buses are buses capable of being steered by external means, usually on a dedicated track or roll way that excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of schedules even during rush hours. Unlike trolleybuses or rubber-tired trams ...
in the United Kingdom. The existing route 65 bus route was upgraded as part of an experiment to improve bus services, by the
West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) was the public body responsible for public transport in the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom from 1969 until 2016. The organisation operated under the name Centro f ...
. A 600-metre section of concrete-edged guideway was installed on Streetly Road in the Short Heath area, a few miles from
Erdington Erdington is a suburb and ward of Birmingham in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Warwickshire and located northeast of central Birmingham, bordering Sutton Coldfield. It was also a council constituency, managed by its o ...
village, at the northern terminal of the route. Located in a central reservation once used by Birmingham Corporation trams, it was segregated from the carriageway used by other vehicular traffic. At the southern end of the trackway, buses used ordinary roads to reach the city centre.On the right track
''Commercial Motor'' 19 May 1984 Fourteen
MCW Metrobus The MCW Metrobus is a two and three-axle double-decker bus manufactured by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) between 1977 and 1989, with over 4,000 built. The original MkI was superseded by the MkII which had a symmetrical windscreen with an arched ...
Mark II buses were acquired and fitted with guide wheels, which ran along the guideway's concrete edges. The vehicles were painted in a distinct livery, unique to Tracline 65, being silver with black and red detailing. It began operating in 1984. The trial ended in 1987 and all buses had their guide wheels removed and returned to normal services; the last withdrawn on 26 April 2008. The buses retained their distinctive destination display and gap in the front wheel arch where the guide wheels had been. One, fleet number 8110, is preserved at
Aston Manor Road Transport Museum Aldridge Transport Museum, home to the Aston Manor Road Transport Museum's collection of vehicles is an independent transport museum in Aldridge, Walsall, England. Until December 2011 the Museum occupied the former Birmingham Corporation Tramway ...
.


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History and picturesFilm of the service in operationColour picture of a Tracline bus
showing guide wheel, just ahead of the front road wheel Bus routes in the West Midlands (county) Busways Erdington Guided busways and BRT systems in the United Kingdom History of Birmingham, West Midlands Transport in Birmingham, West Midlands 1984 establishments in England 1987 disestablishments in England {{Coord, 52.52999, -1.85856, region:GB-BIR_type:landmark, display=title