THE CITY council and WMG at the University of Warwick have launched a real-world demo site for the Coventry Very light rail track system.
This will give stakeholders the chance to see what’s to come in the city when the first phase of the route starts.
Researchers and engineers at WMG have worked alongside track-design experts at Ingerop to create, design and build the demo site.
The track system is more affordable to install while also enabling rapid installation, which minimises disruption to properties and businesses.
The track form is designed to sit within the top 30cm of existing highway surfaces.
It’s easy to install and can be quickly removed reducing clashes with utilities and potentially saving millions of pounds otherwise spent on excavation and moving gas, electrical and telecommunication systems when installing more traditional track forms.
The installation will cost around £10million per km, significantly cheaper than current tram tracks which cost over £25million per km and much more in other city centre locations.
The track has been developed alongside a zero-emission battery-powered lightweight shuttle vehicle created alongside TDi.
The vehicle is lightweight with no overhead power supply along the route, reducing infrastructure costs, and impact on the cityscape visually.
Following the installation at the University of Warwick, the council will install test track at its Whitley Depot waste facility to test it with heavy goods vehicles.
Coun Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, said: “This new track test site is a key part of our work to demonstrate the viability of the breakthrough technology in this track.
“In a world first, we’re aiming to keep pipes and cables in the ground, lowering installation costs and making Coventry Very Light Rail possible in our city and across the country.
“Coventry Very Light Rail will form the backbone of our future transport network, but we’re investing in many projects to make our city’s transport cleaner, greener and more convenient for residents.
“Coventry Very Light Rail will fit seamlessly with our plans to be the UK’s first all-electric bus city and our plans to continue to provide more on-street electric charge points than anywhere outside London.”
