WMG to put battery-powered rail-based vehicle on track

WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and Transport Design International are developing a battery-powered rail-based vehicle on behalf of Coventry City Council in the UK. WMG, an academic department at the University of Warwick, is hoping that the 15-passenger very light rail (VLR) will eventually operate without a timetable and allow people to hop on and off. Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, says: “It will be much more affordable to install than traditional trams, take
March 21, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and Transport Design International are developing a battery-powered rail-based vehicle on behalf of Coventry City Council in the UK.


WMG, an academic department at the University of Warwick, is hoping that the 15-passenger very light rail (VLR) will eventually operate without a timetable and allow people to hop on and off.

Councillor Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, says: “It will be much more affordable to install than traditional trams, take up far less road space, be able to run alongside traffic and our ultimate aim is that it doesn’t require a driver so it can be a frequent service.”

The government’s Local Growth Fund through the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership has contributed £2.46 million towards phase one of the research and design of the prototype. Also, £12.2 million has been secured from the West Midlands Combined Authority Devolution Deal to undertake the R&D required to prove the VLR concept.

WMG says the first design is available to view in 3D via its visualisation suite and the first test vehicle will be manufactured by engineering group RDM by mid-2020.

Transport for West Midlands will provide technical support, advice and guidance to the project team as the scheme develops.

Related Content

  • TRL to contribute to new autonomous vehicle research programme
    October 23, 2015
    The UK’s Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) the, has announced it is part of a new US$17 million five-year research programme to develop fully autonomous cars. The programme, jointly funded by Jaguar Land Rover and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), will look at some key technologies and questions that need to be addressed before driverless cars can be allowed on the roads without jeopardising the safety of other road users, including cyclists and pedestrians. TRL is the on
    Read More
  • Telent brings 'social value' to UK contract
    April 9, 2021
    Deal includes junctions and pedestrian crossings and Telent will also mentor local students
    Read More
  • Report urges US$25 billion transport improvement plan
    August 6, 2014
    The One North report, produced by the city regions of Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield in the UK, puts forward a strategic proposition for transport in the north of the country. The US$16.8-US$25.2 billion plan urges major changes in connectivity and capacity between the northern cities over the next 15 years and proposes optimisation of strategic highway capacity, a new high speed trans-Pennine rail route and improved city region rail networks interconnected with HS2 services, new inte
    Read More
  • Battery bottleneck: EV roll-out at risk
    June 17, 2019
    In order for the take-up of electric vehicles – a key part of the future mobility mix - to grow, we need batteries. And that might prove tricky, reports Graham Anderson Industry and commodities experts fear that the growth in electric vehicles (EVs) could be much slower than predicted due to bottlenecks in global battery market supply chains. “People seem to think that the switch from the internal combustion engine to electric vehicles just means you plug your car in rather than fill it with petrol,” a
    Read More

Highlighted Content