Coventry Very Light Rail: an emerging vision for urban mobility

Purpose This “Practitioners’ Paper” sets out the background to the development of Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR), which is a new form of affordable urban mass transit. Design/methodology/approach CVLR is an R&D project that seeks to develop and test a new form of mass urban transit that is specifically designed to be suitable for small/medium-sized towns and cities. The CVLR vehicle and track-form have been designed to significantly reduce the cost and time to deliver rail-based mass transit. Findings The CVLR project seeks to demonstrate how mass transit can be delivered at “half the cost, half the time” of other comparable options, and how such an approach can achieve strong user acceptance. Research limitations/implications The work identifies the potential for the further development and roll-out of CVLR to improve accessibility, decarbonise transport and strengthen economic development in small/medium towns and cities. The testing of such an approach has been limited to an on-street trial. Further work is required to develop a fully commercial network. Practical implications The work is directly relevant to urban authorities seeking to decarbonise their transport system and improve public transport. Social implications The work has direct implications for local communities through improved affordable mass transit/public transport. Originality/value The work is unique, as the concept of CVLR was established due to a lack of any identified mass transit options that fall between bus and tram. The R&D has resulted in patented innovations, which confirms its originality.