A ground-breaking Very Light Rail (VLR) transport system is to be demonstrated on the streets of Coventry as part of a programme to test the system in real-world conditions.
The testing programme has been made possible following approval of funding by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Board, which has agreed to provide the first instalment of an expected £72 million investment in the emerging Very Light Rail technology.
Funding approval will also allow specialist on site-testing for other Very Light Rail systems to proceed. Much of the new investment will fund the construction of a real-world demonstration track in Coventry city centre, and to develop a business case for a fully operational system.
Very Light Rail technology is designed to be both faster and cheaper to build than traditional tram and rail systems. With development already underway in Dudley as well as Coventry, the West Midlands is at the forefront of the technology and is well-placed to become a global leader in both its design and manufacture.
Instead of using overhead cables, the Coventry system uses lightweight, battery-powered electric vehicles. The track the vehicles run on is designed to require less extensive foundations than conventional light rail systems, so installation will be quicker and less expensive while delivering similar environmental benefits.
Further investment is also to be made in a new Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC) in Dudley, which will allow equipment to be purchased so that the centre can become fully operational. The funding will also be used develop business cases for further Very Light Rail lines, and for links with the existing West Midlands Metro network.
In total, £72 million has been earmarked for the project from the West Midlands Combined Authority through its Sustainable Transport Settlement.
The board has agreed to fund the first £36.8 million of the project, which is enough to provide good progress for the project and which will now go to the Department for Transport for final sign-off.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA Chair, said “This funding will allow us to take Very Light Rail to the next level – from the workshop to real-world demonstration – and shows the WMCA Board's unequivocal backing for innovation in Coventry.
“This technology has the potential to deliver tram systems at pace and at much lower cost – giving more people access to a modern rapid transit system as well as cleaner air and less congestion along with it.
“Coventry has helped pioneer VLR and will therefore – alongside our wider region – be well placed to take advantage of this growing industry and the new job opportunities it will bring in the months and years ahead. That's why the WMCA is so pleased to support our partners on this exciting project.”
Cllr Jim O'Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said: “This is a milestone investment in Coventry Very Light Rail, a project set to transform the way people in our city – and others throughout the UK and even the world – get around. By creating a new, clean and green form of transport, this investment is securing jobs in Coventry and, as in other cities which have installed light rail, will support regeneration in local areas.
“Of course, Coventry Very Light Rail is just one way that the council is working to improve air quality and combat climate change. We've installed more electric vehicle charge points than anywhere outside London, we're set to become the UK's first all-electric bus city by 2025, we have ambitions for a gigafactory and have committed to planting a tree for every person living in Coventry by 2032.”
Neil Fulton, chief executive officer of the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO), the legal entity responsible for operating the VLRNIC, said
“BCIMO is delighted to be a part of the regional Very Light Rail programme and looks forward to providing continued R&D support to the CVLR project.
“The centre provides a unique opportunity for new rail technologies, such as VLR, to be developed and tested in a purpose-built facility and away from the mainline operating environment.”
Councillor David Stanley, Dudley Council's cabinet member for regeneration and enterprise, said: “The very light rail project will eventually revolutionise how people travel by rail. I am delighted this funding has been approved and is a significant step forward in showcasing Dudley and the wider region as a trailblazer for innovative transport.”
The interesting bit will be the need to access the services running under the rail tracks. VLR it may be but if it’s using road space there’s an awful lot of infrastructure below the surface which needs to be accessed. Unlike a bus, it can’t be diverted when roadworks are required.
More toxic bombs, 4 sets if it has a working life of 40 years, probably cheaper to electrify now.
I now read the W Mids Comedy Authority is spending more tens of millions of taxpayers’ money and an equivalent weight of GHG emissions, in persisting with the £15 billion, 150 miles, 8 lines of Metro light rail throughout the W Midlands by 2040 but, also an expensive rollout of Very Light Rail trams in Coventry to vie with Metro LR trams in the city and the region.
“The funding (£72 m) will also be used to develop business cases for further Very Light Rail lines, and for links with the existing West Midlands Metro network.”
Links cannot work. Heavy-weight Metro light rail trams cannot possibly be run on VLR tracks but this was what was put out in a press release from TfWM earlier this month that I read. It is either a lie, a genuine mistake or incompetence.
It is also very misleading or a downright lie or incompetent for TfWM/WMCA to put it about that VLR will reduce our GHG emissions because it is electric.
GOOD IDEA LRT NEEDNT BE HEAVY EXPENSIVE STUFF AT ALL
Great idea
While I would like to be proved wrong, this feels like another gadgetbahn, with very niche applications at best.
The vehicle size doesn’t offer a very high PPDPH rate, and is attempting to scale up technology that I feel is more appropriate a private site peoplemover than a practical public transit system.
The proposed route needs to be proven at a lower investment cost, with reusability to a full solution with a mixture of semi-dedicated bus lanes, bus priority signalisation, and already existing EV bus designs (maybe even a bendy bus). This may demonstrate there would be more demand (PPDPH) than the technology can provide (build a tram/trolleybus instead)
If the developers are looking for longer test site, can I suggest the “fantasy railway” project that is Norfolk Orbital Rail (Holt through Melton Constable to Dereham)? To make this any practical reality it would need a low capital investment with street running capability (with some in motion charging for the distance)