{"id":206054,"date":"2025-06-22T21:26:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T21:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/206054\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T21:26:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T21:26:11","slug":"revolutionary-travel-system-to-transform-west-midlands-transport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/206054\/","title":{"rendered":"Revolutionary travel system to ‘transform’ West Midlands transport"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Very Light Rail system has been developed in the West Midlands<\/p>\n

Gurdip Thandi, Local Democracy Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:10, 22 Jun 2025<\/p>\n

\"TheA Very Light Rail vehicle(Image: Coventry City Council)<\/p>\n

A state-of-the-art travel innovation has the potential to completely ‘revolutionise’ public transport across the West Midlands.<\/p>\n

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood says Very Light Rail (VLR) \u2013 an initiative that’s been hatched in the West Midlands \u2013 will make a significant difference.<\/p>\n

The city centre of Coventry recently showcased a 220-metre test track for the new tram system, providing a glimpse into its functionality in an authentic urban environment, complete with complimentary rides over the past four weeks.<\/p>\n

Read more: Hit-and-run probe after man struck by car in city centre<\/a><\/p>\n

With the advantage of being constructed for less than half the expense and within a shorter timeframe compared to traditional tram networks, VLR promises to deliver similar perks.<\/p>\n

Driving the project is Coventry City Council with a financial boost from the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.<\/p>\n

Key players collaborating on this trailblazing technology include WMG at the University of Warwick and the pioneering Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre housed at BCIMO in Dudley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker expressed pride, stating: “This is a proud moment for the West Midlands, demonstrating our global leadership in transport innovation.”<\/p>\n

His enthusiasm was evident as he added: “This successful trial of our cutting-edge tram technology, designed and developed right here in the region, paves the way for the quick delivery of a network in Coventry and has the potential to revolutionise public transport for millions worldwide.”<\/p>\n

Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood praised Coventry’s innovative transit solution, saying: “Coventry’s Very Light Rail project shows how innovative approaches to transport ideas can drive growth, create high-skilled jobs, and breathe new life into our towns and cities.”<\/p>\n

He continued, highlighting a national initiative: “Better Transport Week highlights how government backing is transforming transport, helping local economies thrive, supporting jobs, and connecting people to opportunity \u2013 all part of delivering our Plan for Change.”<\/p>\n

Adding his perspective, Ben Plowden, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Good public transport networks help connect us to the people we love, the things we need and the places that matter.”<\/p>\n

He further elaborated on the importance of tram systems: “Tram and light rail networks are key to an accessible, affordable, integrated and green public transport network.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Very Light Rail system has been developed in the West Midlands Gurdip Thandi, Local Democracy Reporter 12:10,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206055,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,393,4884,1263,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-206054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-transport","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114729135998060238","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}