Very Light Rail

". . . to be confirmed in July 2019 . . ." Wasn't that the month before last?

Midland Red, The "to be confirmed in July 2019" is from the presentation. Apologies for not putting it in quotation marks. It looks like they have re-used an old presentation without bothering to read it. Peter.

I had a meeting with the lady who is the Programme Manager at the Council for the VLR. We were trying to encourage some support to save the Tram 32 as per the other thread. They are interested in using it as the basis to sell the idea of a new 'tram-like' system - although it's gone ominously quiet of late. Will keep you posted.

Work starts on plans for revolutionary track (Coventry Telegraph). Original 1970s design . Peter.

Bob Ainsworth was a big proponant of a light railway system in Coventry, and he produced a map of a suggested route. Certainly something we should be thinking about now.

The Very Light Rail demonstrator vehicle was open for viewing during Motorfest this weekend. Capacity is quoted as 56, so with 22 seats that is 24 standing. All seating is facing inwards. Three seats fold up to give a wheelchair space. Minimum corner radius is 15m. The press release mentions a driving simulator; but I didn't see it and didn't realise it was there until I got home. First route - railway station to Hospital via Pool Meadow. Timing - depends on funding being agreed (est 3 years minimum).

Hi all, Hopefully as a reminder, well before the Birmingham new tram technology was unveiled, in 1994, an urban tramway (conventional) was proposed by developers acting on behalf of CCC, that travelled through Earlsdon into the City Centre. Even The finance was there & guaranteed. The residents of Earlsdon threw the proposal out at a public consultation.

A planning application (PL/2024//0000288/FULM) for the VLR Demo Route has been submitted to the Council. The route runs from Warwick Road, outside the new station entrance to Millennium Place near the Transport Museum with an intermediate stop (and temporary terminus) opposite IKEA. The depot will be on the square of land between Eaton Road and the Ring Road. The planning statement notes that "... the Scheme is purely to test that the concept of CVLR works. Therefore, it will likely run a limited, ad-hoc timetable and will not be for public use".

Thank you for your splendid info regards "Light Rail". A conventional tramway was proposed in the Earlsdon area in the 1990s, but was rejected on a referendum. Just chat. On a lighter note, one thing that bothers me regards light railways, is the robust or not nature to withstand vandalism. The crew of this loco stopped just in time. The Southern region experienced more of its share of bridge failures, mostly culvert crossings, maybe the chalk grounds but I cannot recall anything devastating as in other parts of the UK & world.