The Coventry Very Light Rail Project has made an advancement, as Coventry City Council and WMG, at the University of Warwick, have launched a real-world demonstration site for its light rail track system.
The testing site, which is based at WMG at the University of Warwick, will offer an impression of the final rail project when the first phase of the city route eventually begins.
According to the council, researchers and engineers at WMG have worked alongside track technicians at engineering firm Ingerop to build the testing site, including its track system, which is reportedly both cheaper and more efficient to install than its traditional counterpart.
The hope is that this new form of track will minimise local disruption, it being designed to sit within the top 30cm of existing highway surfaces. The local authority has also said it was designed to be easy to remove to avoid issues with utilities and that this could save millions of pounds on removal costs.
Installation of the tracks is currently costed at approximately £10m per km, which is reportedly significantly cheaper compared to current tram tracks, which can cost upwards of £25m per km. This price increases even further in city centres and dense urban areas.
The track has been engineered to be compatible with a zero-emission, battery-powered lightweight shuttle vehicle created in partnership with Transport Design International (TDi). The vision of Coventry Very Light Rail is to develop a system with a similar functionality to the London Underground system, where passengers can hop on and off frequent services.
The vehicle itself has been designed to be lightweight and to work without an overhead power supply, which the council claims will cut infrastructure costs, complexity and visual impact on the city.
Following installation at the University of Warwick, Coventry City Council will install test track at its Whitley Depot waste facility to test it with HGVs, as well as at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC) in Dudley, where the vehicle is currently being tested.
This installation will form part of the facility’s 15m radius loop, built to test the CVLR prototype vehicle’s cornering system, in the hope that this will enable full system integration trials.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “This very light rail project is a fantastic demonstration of collaboration across our region – whether it’s the development at Dudley, this new test track at Warwick University or soon enough the first route in Coventry city centre.
“The West Midlands Combined Authority is investing £71.5m into very light rail.
“Designing and building a light rail service rapidly and at a fraction of the cost of regular Metro lines has the potential to transform our public transport network.
“It is also a great example of cutting edge innovation that can help us to meet our #WM2041 net zero commitment and tackle the climate emergency.
“Our region is ideally placed to become the home of the green industrial revolution.”
Coventry Very Light rail is being led by Coventry City Council and has received funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Coventry City Council.
