If you want to see the future of transport, head to Coventry. Right now, the city is developing the UK’s very first ‘Very Light Rail’ system and people are being invited to be the among the first to test it out later this month.
Coventry City Council inviting members of the public to take a free ride on a test version of the Very Light Rail system so that they can provide feedback. The rides will take place across four weekend from the end of May, with passengers travelling on a 220m test track between Greyfriars Road and Queen Victoria Road.
The prototype train can hold up to 17 seated passengers plus a wheelchair or pram. Once it’s up and running properly, it will fit 60 passengers altogether, both seated and standing.
A ‘very light rail’ is touted as a cheaper, more flexible and more environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional light rail systems. It’ll carry lightweight vehicles on a track installed within 30cm of the road’s surface, which minimises the need to relocate existing pipes and cables, and will be completely battery-powered with no overhead cables. It’s also a lot quicker to build – the test track was constructed in just two months
Installation of the system is expected to cost £10m per kilometre, which is much less than the £25m-£30m spent per km for your average tram system. In total, the project is costing £189 million and has been jointly funded by the UK Government, the West Midlands devolution deal and the WMCA City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement.
Local councillor Jim O’Boyle, said: ‘I’m really pleased that people now have the chance to get on and take a ride on our new system. It will run on tracks that were laid in just 8 weeks – proving what we said about speed and cost of this system, and it is of course developed and built here thanks to the skills we have in this city in manufacturing.
‘Very Light Rail is just one part of our plans to revolutionise transport in our city, tackle climate change, improve air quality, and provide a new, reliable and accessible travel option.’
The first official route for the CVLR hasn’t been officially confirmed. At first a link from the city centre to University Hospital in Walsgrave was proposed, but now the first phase could focus on a link to Coventry Airport instead.
If you happen to be in Coventry and fancy a go on the test CVLR, you can book your place here.
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