Very Light Rail news
News about Very Light Rail concepts, development, technology, planning and implementation.
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NewsEcoTrain launched to target very light rail opportunities in France and Belgium
FRANCE: Dynamic testing of a lightweight trainset for secondary lines is underway follwing the unveiling of the EcoTrain.
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NewsUtility companies test ways of working under Very Light Rail track
UK: Utility companies have trialled impact moling, horizontal directional drilling, vacuum excavation and keyhole coring to install new or access existing equipment underneath the trial section of Very Light Rail track in Coventry.
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Rail Business UKCouncil acquires Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation
UK: Dudley Council has acquired the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation and is now seeking an operator to manage the purpose-built rail research and development facility.
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Rail Business UKBlack Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation enters administration
UK: The Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation, which operated purpose-built rail research facilities including the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre, has entered administration.
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Rail Business UKCoventry Very Light Rail street-running trial underway
UK: The prototype Coventry Very Light Rail vehicle is now being tested on a 220 m demonstration section of on-street track in the city.
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Rail Business UKCoventry prepares for Very Light Rail demonstration
A project which aims to develop a more affordable alternative to traditional tramways is taking its next major step. Andrew Grantham reports from the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre.
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Rail Business UKFour options under consideration for Wisbech rail service
UK: There is a ‘strong strategic case’ for reinstating passenger services to Wisbech, but the ‘art of the possible’ will be key, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority has said following a meeting with Network Rail to discuss an ongoing study of options. The Combined ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail track on test
UK: A novel type of tram track which is intended to be cheaper and faster to install than convention designs is being tested along with the battery-powered prototype Coventry Very Light Rail vehicle. The track is shallower than conventional light rail designs, and can be laid ...
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Rail Business UKInfrastructure training to be offered at Very Light Rail centre
UK: City of Wolverhampton College and its training partner National Infrastructure Solutions have taken over space at the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation’s Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley.
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail ultra-thin tram track installed for load testing
UK: A sensor-equipped section of track developed for the Coventry Very Light Rail project has been installed at a city council depot, where the movement of heavy goods vehicles will enable its performance to be tested under stress conditions. The track has been developed by ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail technology demonstration allocated funding
UK: West Midlands Combined Authority has approved funding for a ‘real world demonstration’ of technology being developed under the Very Light Rail project, which aims to offer medium-sized cities a cheaper and faster to construct alternative to traditional tramways. ‘This funding will allow us to take ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail R&D partnership
UK: Innovation accelerator Connected Places Catapult has signed a memorandum of understanding to work with the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation to align future R&D and support UK-based innovators in the transport sector. The MoU was signed at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail overhead charger commissioned at Dudley test facility
UK: A rapid battery charger which supplier Furrer+Frey says is the first of its kind for a rail application has been commissioned at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley. This will enable testing of the automated rapid charging capability of the prototype ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail rapid charger installed at Dudley test track
UK: Furrer+Frey GB has installed an ‘ultra-rapid’ battery charge station at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley, where the prototype vehicle for the planned Coventry VLR line is to be tested. Intended as a low-cost alternative to overhead electrification, ...
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Metro Report InternationalBlack Country very light rail innovation centre under development
UK: The Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation has been formed to oversee the development and operation of a very light rail innovation centre in Dudley, and has appointed law firm Higgs & Sons to advise on corporate governance and other legal matters. The £25m VLR National Innovation ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery Light Rail vehicle prototype under construction
UK: A prototype battery-powered carbon fibre and metal Very Light Rail vehicle is under construction at NP Aerospace’s plant at Foleshill in Coventry. The VLR project to develop low-cost technologies which would make light rail a viable option for medium sized cities is being managed by the ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery light rail track under development
UK: The Coventry Very Light Rail scheme to develop a low-cost transport system for medium-sized cities has been awarded £1∙5m of West Midlands Combined Authority funding to support the design and development of track for use by lightweight battery powered vehicles. The project aims to design an ...
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In depthVery Light Rail research on track
This year should see not one but two prototypes of very light rail vehicles being tested in the UK. Karol Zemek talks to Dr Nick Mallinson, Programme Manager at WMG Centre of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at the University of Warwick, about the research taking place into this potentially disruptive technology.
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NewsCoventry very light rail vehicle design unveiled
UK: The University of Warwick’s Warwick Manufacturing Group has published the design of the very light rail vehicle that it is developing with Transport Design International. TDI is working with automotive company RDM to build a prototype vehicle by mid-2020 for testing at the Very Light Rail National Innovation ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery light rail vehicle prototype contract awarded
UK: A prototype vehicle for testing at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley is to be designed by Transport Design International and produced in partnership with automotive company RDM. The R&D proof of concept project is being managed by researchers from the University of ...
