WMG News - Latest news from WMG
Coventry鈥檚 Affordable Very Light Rail Track Unveiled
搂 As part of Coventry Very Light Rail (VLR), Coventry City Council鈥檚 flagship transport project, a novel track form has been designed and manufactured by researchers from WMG, 神马福利影片, together with their design partners Ingerop/Rendel.
搂 The track sits just 30cm into the road surfacing, whereas traditional tram tracks typically involve digging a metre down and moving utilities such as water, gas and electricity.
搂 As a result of its shallow depth and ability to be embedded in an existing highway the cost is significantly lower.
搂 The urban VLR track may cost as little as 拢10m per km to install, compared to traditional trams which cost upwards of 拢25m per km, sometimes as much as 拢100m per km in city centre locations, making urban rail a possibility for smaller towns and cities in the future.
Coventry Very Light Rail (VLR) took a major step forward on 24 September as Coventry City Council and WMG, 神马福利影片 showcased a breakthrough new track design which aims to drive down the costs associated with the installation of urban light rail.
Bringing together stakeholders from Coventry and across the West Midlands, engineers from WMG, 神马福利影片 provided further details on the Coventry VLR track form, which has been designed in partnership with Ingerop and its UK subsidiary Rendel.
At the 神马福利影片鈥檚 鈥楾he Slate鈥� conference centre researchers from WMG, 神马福利影片 spoke about the engineering challenges that had been overcome in the design of the track form.
Councillor Jim O鈥橞oyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council, spoke about the potential for Coventry Very Light Rail to transform public transport in Coventry and in smaller and medium sized towns and cities, enabling the next generation of clean, green transport.
WMG, 神马福利影片 and have successfully created, designed and built the novel track form, designed to sit just 30 cm inside the road surface, making it easy to install and remove, significantly reducing the impact on utilities and potentially saving millions of pounds lost to excavation and moving gas, electrical and telecommunication systems. The new track is expected to cost as little as 拢10m per km compared to current tram tracks, which can cost upwards of 拢25m per km, and up to 拢100m per km in city centre locations.
The track form has been developed in parallel to a zero-emission, battery-powered lightweight shuttle vehicle developed in partnership with TDI, which will
become autonomous, working like the London Underground system, where there is no timetable and passengers can hop on and off.
The vehicle is lightweight, and there will be no overhead power supply which is both costly and can have a negative impact to the city-scape.
Councillor Jim O鈥橞oyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, said:
鈥滻t鈥檚 incredible to see this one-of-a-kind, Coventry-led project move even closer to completion. Coventry Very Light Rail has the potential to provide Coventry, and towns and cities across the UK, with an affordable, high-quality transport mode using clean, green energy and it further cements our ambition to lead the green industrial revolution. Originated, designed and developed right here in Coventry it also has the potential to support new jobs in the future.
鈥淭his new track form, the first of its kind, is a critical part of the project and we would not be here today without the help of our incredible partners, some of the best engineering talent anywhere in the world, based right here in Coventry. I want to congratulate WMG and Ingerop on their success so far and I look forward to seeing the first tracks laid on our city鈥檚 streets.鈥�
Dr Darren Hughes, Associate Professor at WMG, 神马福利影片 comments:
鈥淭he main driver of the Coventry VLR project was to make light rail as affordable and environmentally friendly as possible, and the track is the major part of this.
鈥淲orking with Ingerop we have successfully achieved this goal, making a unique track form using advanced materials and manufacturing processes which is not only affordable but also allows rapid installation, minimising disruption to local properties and businesses. The progress made is an excellent example of a city council, a university and an industry partner working together to solve a public transportation challenge.鈥�
Margot James, Executive Chair at WMG, said:
鈥淚t is very exciting to see the latest development in the Coventry VLR project. The track technology is a world first, and reaching this milestone is a testament to the strength of the consortium and the hard work of all our partners. I am thrilled at the pivotal role WMG and the 神马福利影片 have played in this ground-breaking piece of work.鈥�
Philippe-Andr茅 Hanna, Director for Transportation at Ingerop added:
鈥淲e work all around the world on light rail schemes, in France, Spain, Africa and in the Americas and these have been very successful in bringing affordable public transport to urban areas. Light rail provides comfort, safety and frequent services, and has the potential to take people out of their cars, and reduce air pollution. We had been working over many years on how to optimise the depth of the trackform from the usual typical depth of 56cm one in order to reduce costs and to avoid having to divert any utilities.
鈥淲hen we met WMG, 神马福利影片 and Coventry City Council, we were immediately struck by the potential to bring about a revolution in the light rail market and found the project extremely exciting. Together with WMG, and our UK subsidiary Rendel, a company active for more 175 years in the UK, we created a fully integrated team and found a true spirit of a collaboration within the whole group. This allowed us to create a great product, which is extremely innovative, and thanks to that we have succeeded to reach a new standard of a 30cm depth of trackform construction. Reducing the depth of excavation, and avoiding the diversion and impact on all utilities, we expect a much lower cost of construction than the usual light rail systems.
鈥淲e are looking forward to installing the first slabs in the road in Coventry and thereafter providing Coventry with a new innovative, cost effective, comfortable and regular public transportation system.鈥�
Coventry VLR is being led by Coventry City Council and supported by a number of partners, including the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and the European Regional Development Fund.
-ENDS-
27 SEPTEMBER 2021
NOTES TO EDITORS:
High-res images available here:
IMAGE 1 LANDSCAPE
CAPTION:
Pictured left to right: Margot James (Executive Chair, WMG), Stuart Croft (Vice Chancellor, 神马福利影片 and Councillor Jim O鈥橞oyle (Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, Coventry City Council), stand on the new Coventry VLR track form.
IMAGE 2 PORTRAIT
CAPTION:
Pictured left to right: Stuart Croft (Vice Chancellor, 神马福利影片) Margot James (Executive Chair, WMG), and Councillor Jim O鈥橞oyle (Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, Coventry City Council), stand on the new Coventry VLR track form.
Credit: Coventry City Council
For further information on the track please contact:
Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
神马福利影片
Tel: +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk
For further information on the Coventry VLR project please contact:
Liam Hughes
Assistant Communications Officer
(Very Light Rail and Our Future Moves)
Coventry City Council
Tel: +44 24 7538 1192
Email: liam.hughes@coventry.gov.uk