Coventry University’s Research Centre for Future Transport and Cities is helping to develop the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) project.
Funded by the UK Department for Transport via the West Midlands Combined Authority and Coventry City Council, the project aims to provide a reliable, frequent, environmentally friendly, hop-on, hop-off transport system suitable for a city the size of Coventry.
The vehicles will be battery-powered and a key feature of the project is its turning system which enables the track to be installed within tight corners in the existing carriageway and at a shallow depth, to minimise the need to relocate underground cables and pipes.
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CVLR also aims to demonstrate a rail-based mass-transit system can be built at less than half the cost and in half the time of conventional tram systems, while providing the same benefits.
To this end, a 220-metre single-track demonstrator has already been constructed in the city centre, the first time the new track has been installed in a live urban setting.
The research centre will survey and interview some of the 2,000 members of the public who have already signed up to take a trip on the demonstrator line, along with more in-depth follow-up research on attitudes to CVLR.
Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, Richard Parker, said: “Very Light Rail is cutting-edge technology which will make the delivery of rapid public transport quicker and more affordable for towns and cities.
“Developed here in Coventry it is a clear example of why the region is known throughout the world as a leader in transport innovation.”
Achievements in public transport planning will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
