Representatives from light rail networks have recently taken the chance to see the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) up close as part of a site visit promoted by UKTram. They were able to see the CVLR track being installed at Mile Lane and also hear from the team responsible for its development.
During the visit, Dr Christopher Micallef gave an overview of the track design’s development, before a site visit was led by Hamish Falconer. The track has been designed as a shallower alternative to traditional track systems, with the potential to reduce the depth of excavation required when laying new track. Its hoped this will both offer cost and time savings.
Tim Bilby, Stakeholder and Innovation Manager at UKTram, said: “The discussions in Coventry were really useful, particularly because we had representatives from several systems able to share their own operational and infrastructure perspectives.
“The technology is potentially game-changing for track installation, and an important next step will be understanding how the track performs within an operational tramway environment.”
Representatives from the West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Nottingham attended and they were able to discuss the design, installation process and potential applications for the technology across different light rail environments.