The Very Light Rail pilot project which is currently under test in Coventry has had a fair bit of news coverage over the past few months, with the BBC picking up on the plans and exploring what it could mean for the future of transport schemes in the UK. That came following a visit to the construction site of the short demonstration track in the West Midlands city by members of both UKTram and the West Midlands Combined Authority at the start of April.
On the visit – which took place on 2nd April 2025 – representatives from the two organisations were able to view the first stage installation of the innovative slab/trackform on the planned demonstration track. They were shown the installation of the and how the rails would be located and secured before being embedded in a highway medium.
Dr Christopher Micaellef, Track Systems Programme Lead, led the group, which included UKTram Lead Engineer Phil Terry and UKTram Chair Steve Edwards, as he explained how the design has allowed the constructor to install the ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) slab in a 300mm deep, compacted bed highway excavation, removing the need for utility diversion, deep excavation, and substantial reinforced concrete slabs as in previous tramway designs.
Standard construction vehicles are being used to prepare the surface and install the slabs, reduce costs and allow 25 slabs per day to be laid, set, and levelled as per the design parameters. There was also a demonstration of how data is being used to map the installation, allowing future asset management and maintenance to be accurately recorded.
Phil Terry commented: “It was good to see the installation from a concept drawing to a physical entity. The collection of data has been immense, providing the designers/constructors with a window on not only pre-construction performance but allowing adjustments to be made during the trial installation; however, the real test will be when a VLR vehicle is run on it, combined with real-world interactions of highway vehicles that will cross the installation in parts”.
Any chance of some photos of this track being laid please? I’m curious to see exactly what it is. Sheffield Supertram employed a system of laying a continuous concrete slab with two small trenches in it for the rails to drop into. 30 years later and it’s breaking up badly, but is a headache to replace because of the rebar in the concrete.
It was covered in great detail by facebook posts