Coventry VLR trials get under way on easy-to-install test track

Trials of Coventry’s Very Light Rail tram system have begun on a city centre test track.

Members of the public and local businesses have been invited to ride on the revolutionary vehicle under controlled conditions.

The tram is running on track which took less than two months to install. The ‘slab track’ system negates the need to divert utilities such as gas pipes and telecoms cables by only digging down to a depth of 30cm.

Nicola Small, VLR Programme Director at Coventry City Council said: “What we really need to do is prove that we can deliver quickly and to budget and this has been the first step in proving that to funders and what we need to do now is build a further section in a slightly more complex environment.”

Coventry VLR has been developed in conjunction with the Dudley based Very Light Rail Innovation Centre.

It’s been helping to test the vehicle and has provided space for modifications to be made for the latest trials.

Scores of people have ridden on the tram and responded positively with most commenting on how smooth the ride is and how spacious it is.

Civic leaders want a network of VLR routes across Coventry. However, so far progress has been slow, partly because of funding and regulatory issues.

After the trials the test track is expected to become part of a future route from the railway station to Poole Meadow bus station.