Eversholt Rail has signed contracts for Transport Design International (TDI) to build three new Revolution Very Light Rail (RVLR) to be used in passenger trials in the UK.
These new innovative lightweight passenger trains will help to Britain's railways to achieve zero carbon and will run entirely on battery power. They could be carrying passengers within three years, with the whole operation having zero emissions through a new system of lineside fast charging.
Eversholt Rail is one of the country's leading rolling stock owning companies, and it will be working with Transport Design International (TDI) to build the three new Pre-Series vehicles for the passenger trials. They will be built by TDI in the Midlands, with assembly starting next year. The RVLRs have a modular design which should allow the first vehicle to be ready for passenger operation in 2026.
Demonstrator trials and testing of the RVLR concept have been carried out at Ironbridge in Shropshire during the past two years, and the Pre-Series vehicles represent both the next major step towards series production and the provision of further valuable data ahead of wider deployment of RVLRs. Some of the UK's major rail operators have expressed interest in the RVLR vehicles as a step towards making rail ‘cleaner'.
Eversholt Rail and TDI are in discussions with with key stakeholders across the UK rail industry as to which routes and services these new vehicles can operate passenger-carrying trials. These will provide data on the actual passenger demand for these vehicles to support business cases for their long-term deployment, as well as providing feedback from passengers and operators on their design and capabilities.
Mary Kenny, CEO Eversholt Rail said, “This substantial further investment by Eversholt Rail demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative, sustainable and attractive new rail products for the UK market. We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Transport Design International.”
Sam Wauchope, Chairman of Transport Design International said, “This joint investment is fantastic news for RVLR, and we are looking forward to working with Eversholt Rail to deliver this ground-breaking product that will modernise lower-density parts of the UK rail network with an environmentally sustainable and economic solution. TDI is investing in a new manufacturing facility for these vehicles, and as part of this programme we are developing our in-service charging technology, an essential for battery-only operations.
“To ensure we remain at the cutting edge of this emerging technology, TDI is supported by Innovate UK for its ongoing technological developments in this sector. The innovation and light-weighting technology behind RVLR is superb and we are immensely proud of our UK-based engineering team”.
It’s what this country needs investment in a old railway which is not fit for purpose
Has anyone considered using a metal bogie wheel rim mounted and bonded round a rubber tyre to give a low weight suspension? This might be the ideal combination.
This could reduce track pounding and offer better noise isolation than steel on steel axle. Perhaps?
God, it’s the old railbus bought up to date, nothing new here.
Perhaps the VLR might be used on the Stourbridge Town branch line and other smaller branch lines such as in Cornwall and Devon.
I was thinking this. The Parry People Mover must be getting a bit old now, could do with modernising.
What a very good concept, They can be used as trams. I wish you all the best .