Coventry’s Very Light Rail trial to run next summer
Coventry City Council’s cabinet looks set to approve the construction of an on-road test of its Very Light Rail track and electric vehicle.
Following successful trials of the track and vehicle at Dudley, the Council is planning to run the vehicle on 220m of track along Greyfriars Road and Queen Victoria Road for four weeks during the summer of 2025.
The battery-powered vehicle and track system will offer cities the chance to install rapid passenger tram systems faster and at a much lower cost than traditional light rail systems.
It has been developed by a number of West Midlands organisations including Coventry City Council, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), WMG at the University of Warwick and the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation, which runs the Dudley Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC).
The project is backed with funding from the £1.05bnn City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) awarded to the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) by the Department for Transport. The CVLR project has been allocated £40m from that funding to progress the research and development to deliver an affordable integrated mass transit system that could be deployed in cities across the country.
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration and climate change said: “The trial will allow us to showcase the technology in the city centre as well as testing the revolutionary track-laying system which can be installed without significant disruption to utilities such as gas and water pipes. This is a major step in our ongoing testing of Very Light Rail and it’s fantastic that we’re going to be able to demonstrate this innovation and prove, right here in our city centre, that it works.
“Very Light Rail is just one part of our wider ambition to decarbonise transport, tackle climate change and improve air quality and everything we are doing to be the country’s first Electric City”.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair said: “Connecting our communities through an expanded tram network is a key part of my vision for a more affordable and accessible transport system.
“Very Light Rail has the potential to deliver that faster and at a fraction of the usual cost, putting our region at the forefront of innovation. This demonstrator track shows just how close we are to making this cutting-edge technology a reality for the West Midlands.”
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