Coventry puts ultra-thin ‘very light rail’ track to the test

Coventry’s bid to launch the UK’s first Very Light Rail (VLR) system has hit a key milestone with the installation of an innovative ultra-thin track for testing at the council’s Whitley Depot facility.

The short test track’s performance will be measured under extreme conditions, including with heavy goods vehicles. Vibration sensors that take measurements 10 times a second have been installed at locations along the track, and weight-in-motion sensors will weigh vehicles while they move across the track.

Using lightweight, battery-powered electric vehicles, the Coventry VLR system is designed to operate without overhead cables and to require less extensive foundation works than traditional tram and rail developments, making installation quicker and less expensive.

Alongside the vehicle, the Coventry Very Light Rail project has developed a new track which is much thinner than tracks used in existing light rail systems, while being equally as strong. This means it can be laid just 30cm deep into the surface of the road, reducing the need to divert pipes and cable.

Digital twin

The test data will be collected for a year and fed into a digital twin computer model, allowing the council’s innovation partners, WMG at the University of Warwick, to evaluate the performance of the track over time.

City leaders say the project will transform the way people in Coventry get around, as well as serving as a demonstrator for other cities in the UK and abroad. It also aims to secure jobs and boost investment and regeneration.

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Coventry’s cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said: “The tracks we’ve installed here at Whitley Depot represent hundreds of hours of innovation that have taken place right here in Coventry.

“They were designed from day one to minimise disruption to people and businesses, and we’re excited to see their strength demonstrated in a real-world environment.”

He added: “Our own council road team laid them too – which is great and supports our aim of ensuring CVLR creates and safeguards jobs in our city.”

In January, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Board agreed a first instalment of £36.8 million (US$45.2 million) for the emerging very light rail technology. A total of £72 million has been earmarked for the project from the £1.3 billion City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.

Much of the new investment will be used to build a real-world demonstration track in Coventry city centre and to develop the business case for a fully operational system.

There will also be further investment in the recently opened Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley and some of the funding will be used to explore the business cases for further VLR lines and links with the existing West Midlands Metro network.

Testing plans

The city said that the Whitley Depot track test site is part of a broader range of planned testing. A length of track has been laid at the University of Warwick to test installation, and a track will soon be installed at the VLR National Innovation Centre in Dudley to test the VLR vehicle on the track for the first time.

“Transport innovation has the opportunity to really support a zero-carbon economy and Coventry is leading the green industrial revolution,” said O’Boyle. “Not only will we be the UK’s first all-electric bus city, we have already installed more electric vehicle charge points than anywhere outside London, and we’re investing in new fully segregated cycleways to give more people greener options to move about our city.”