'We are onto a game changer here': Coventry Council set to approve new driverless tram near train station
Coventry City councillors are expected to approve the construction of an 800-metre Very Light Rail twin track.
The city, located in the West Midlands near Birmingham, is taking its driverless trams ambitions to the next stage. The city has already built a 220-metre single-track demonstrator in the city centre for the Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) project earlier this year.
Now the council is planning a separate 800-metre trial section. It will run between Coventry Railway Station and Coventry University Technology Park on Mile Lane – in both directions and in live traffic.
Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change said: “Coventry Very Light Rail is pioneering transport innovation. It is a cost-effective and efficient alternative to conventional tram systems and we have proven it can be delivered at less than half the cost and in half the time.
“We are on to a real transport game changer here. It will be good for the environment, have no unsightly overhead cables and in the future, it has the potential to be autonomous – offering a hop on and hop off service. What’s more I think everyone that saw it here, and rode it, can agree that it looked great in the street and gave a quiet and smooth ride. I’m looking forward to seeing it back and providing the chance for even more people to have a go on it.”
The first full commercial route in the city could be between the railway station and the West Midlands Investment zone centred on GreenPower Park. The aim is then to serve the city with a 12km route connecting the West Midlands Investment zone, centred on GreenPower Park, with the development taking place around Ansty Park.