Coventry Very Light Rail takes step forward

Plans to trial a futuristic public transport system on the streets of Coventry have taken a step forward.

A bid to build a ‘demonstrator track’ for Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) was sent in for permission by the council this month.

Work to build the track is likely to start in autumn 2024 and the the first part could be finished by next year, plans say. But people won’t be able to use its battery powered vehicle to get around just yet, the report adds, as the aim of the demonstrator is to prove the system works in practice.

The light rail project, eight years in the making, is being funded and developed by the council along with a range of groups in the region. A cash injection of over £50 million from the government’s transport settlement via the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is funding this stage of the project.

CVLR is made up of a battery-powered vehicle and an ultra-thin track that is intended to be less intrusive than other systems. It aims to be zero emission at the point of use and cheaper than a conventional tram.

The demonstrator track will go from Warwick Road by the train station to Millenium Place next to the city’s bus station, a stretch of 1.5km. It will be built in two parts, with the first half ending at the old IKEA building on Corporation street, plans say.

The planning application is seeking full permission for a range of work that will take place for the demonstrator route. This includes installing the track on pre-cast concrete slabs on the roads, putting in three temporary platform stops, a depot and stabling building north of Eaton Road and road and junction works.

Most of the work for the scheme will take the form of road maintenance work and the concrete slabs will be craned into place before the standard surfacing and finishing works finish, the report said. While most junctions on the route will stay the same, it will need a signal controlled junction to replace the roundabout that gives access to Central Six.

The roundabout at Warwick Road would also become a priority junction, a planning statement adds. Nine parking bays will also be lost, including four disabled parking bays on Queen Victoria Road and Corporation Street.

Work on the second part of the route will start once funding is available, which is likely to be 2025/26, with work to finish in the third quarter of 2025, the report adds. The project aims to “prove out” the manufacturing and installation process for the CVLR track and show it can be installed with “minimal” disruption to utilities and to a cost of aroung £10m per kilometres.

“The scheme will not only provide proof of the very light rail concept but will also allow the market potential of a such a system to be fulfilled through the demonstration and sale of the transformative concept to national and international markets in the heart of Coventry,” it adds.

The demonstrator route will likely run a “limited” timetable and will initially not be available for use by the public, the report states. The submission of the plans comes after the CVLR vehicle and track were tested succesfully for the first time at an innovation centre in Dudley in November.

Cabinet Member for Jobs, Jim O’Boyle, has been leading on the project since 2016. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service last year of the “frustrating” waits for the government Department for Transport to release money for the scheme.

He also told MPs that the council had applied for funds to build a “trailblazing city centre demonstrator” but a “lack of clarity” over funding creates “delays and disruption.” Speaking today, the councillor said the government wants to assure themselves that everything is being done in accordance with the green book process which informs decisions.

“There isn’t anything written for VLR, that’s the difficulty. We’ll overcome it,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS.)

“It’s the nature of this scheme. We’re breaking new ground here.”

The track is being tested by HGVs and bin lorries in Whitley, at Warwick Manufacturing Group and at the innovation centre in Dudley, and they believe it is passing its tests.

“It’s literally a matter of time. We have to do X amounts of mileage to prove the concept, even though we believe in it based on all the testing so far – I believe in it absolutely,” he said.

The demonstrator track will form part of the first planned route to the city’s hospital, he said. On the plans being submitted, he said: “There are processes we have to follow. This is all in line with our expectations.”

“I just want everybody to get on with it now. We have got a concept that works, we have got a vehicle that works,” he added. “Let’s get it up and running as soon as possible.”